Tables Turned: Parenting
by TheCrumpetThief432836
Summary: The course of life can be changed by just that one, special person we never thought we would meet. For Arthur, this person has brought upon him a troubled past, and he must help him escape it. USUK, and Alfred starts out at age 11, Arthur at 16.
1. Chapter 1

"**You Are My Sunshine"**

**Okay, well this is my first fan fiction that I have ever written. I AM AMERICAN! I'm not from England, so sorry if I get ANYTHING wrong. I mean no offense to anyone with what I might say (if I do say anything offensive-sounding to you), and I hope you enjoy chapter 1! If you spot any mistakes, even though I do look the paper over and my computer spell checks it, please tell me. (In a private message would be nice.) Thank you!**

_It seems like only yesterday I was holding you in my arms; as a child of course._

Alfred was full of energy and enthusiasm as a kid, and those two traits grew with him throughout the years Arthur was away. His energy levels leave Arthur gobsmacked sometimes though, as Alfred never seemed to get tired until _Arthur was ready for bed, _because he feared being left alone.

When Alfred was only ten, turning eleven in just a few months, he had been left home a few times. During these times, he would go all throughout the house, searching for any and all forms of entertainment. Most of the time he would find a way to set up the stool to climb up to the movie cabinet, picking out the scariest title he could find. Arthur always came home just in the nick-of-time to stop Alfred from watching a scary movie, as they would give the boy nightmares. The two would fight, Arthur claiming he was too young to be watching those types of movies, and Alfred retorting with his signature catchphrase:

"But I'm the Hero! They wouldn't scare me!" Regardless, Arthur always put the movie back, forgetting to lock the cabinet as he dragged Alfred to his room.

How the two had come to be living together was an entirely different story though.

Running about in the grocery store, Arthur searched for the last ingredient for the dinner he was cooking tonight. It wasn't anything big, for it was just himself eating; no others to share the food with.

As he continued over to the dairy section, he noticed a melon rolling towards him, and picked it up when it hit his feet. Suddenly, a small boy from around the corner came running towards him, snatching the melon out of him hands. After him, came two large men with angry looks on their faces. They seemed to have lost track of the boy, and asked Arthur where he had gone to.

"Why? What did the young lad do_?" The boy couldn't have been any older than eleven! Why in the world would he be….._

_The melon._

Arthur gripped the half-empty basket that was in his hand very tightly, and ran towards where he saw the boy go; into a back room that was used for storage and was strictly off-limits. There, in the corner of the room eating the melon as if it was his first meal in a long while, was the small boy.

"There he is!" the first man yelled. Arthur hadn't gotten a look at their faces before, and now saw that the two of them looked very similar; One, raging with anger, while the other looked more sympathetic towards the child. "Veneziano! Help me out over here!" The hair that swirled out to the right of his head was twitching; almost in an angry way.

"Y-yes brother." They both carried heavy Italian accents. As they came closer to the small child, he became more frightened and began to whimper a bit out of fear.

"Wait!" Arthur yelled, "If I pay for the melon and anything else this boy might have damaged, do you think you can let him off with just a warning?" Arthur felt his heart go softer by the second. The boy was obviously emaciated, and was in dire need of food, as well as some new clothes. Arthur apparently wasn't being very observant today, for he hadn't noticed the ragged, three-sizes-too-small clothes the young boy had on, as well as his dirty, tangled hair. The boy was a mess.

"Would you like to know how much he destroyed before you say that? I'm going to have to clean up four different isles because of him!" the right-curled one shouted.

"Sir, the boy destroyed 320 pounds worth of produce… as well as 50 pounds worth of snack-foods." This one that spoke had a curl going out from the left side of his head.

"No problem. He is let off with a warning though, right?" Arthur looked at the two, anxiously awaiting their answer. He really hoped he could keep the young boy out of trouble, and maybe help him as well. Slowly, the right-curled one nodded, and Arthur handed him about half the money that was in his wallet. It really was no problem at all, as Arthur had a great deal of money left in the bank.

"Alright, now get that kid out of here after you are done shopping. I do not want to see him here for at least another week. Ciao." With that, the two walked off, turning back only once to say their names. "If you need us, ask for Romano and Veneziano. They'll know who we are."

Arthur waved them off, never giving his name. He looked down at the small child, who's faced had been covered by the juice from the melon, making him very sticky. He was trembling a bit, and holding onto Arthur's leg. He smiled at the young boy, who looked up at his with bright blue eyes that were filled with unshed tears.

"Well, I still have some shopping to do. If you come with me I can buy you something to eat on the way home." They boy hesitated, but nodded his head, revealing a small cowlick that stuck almost straight up from the boy's matted dirty-blonde hair. Hesitantly, the boy nodded his head, and Arthur took the boys hand, only picking up two more items; one of them including something for the boy to eat until they could get back to Arthur's house.

As the young boy in the back seat munched away on his bag of crisps, Arthur began to wonder where this boy's parents were. He hadn't seen anyone outside of the store, and the employees acted as if the boy didn't have parents. After a few minutes of silence, besides the occasional crunch of a crisp, Arthur finally asked for the boy's name.

"My name is Alfred." He said through a mouth of crisps, which he referred to as 'potato chips'. He then swallowed what was in his mouth, and continued to talk. "Thank you for what you did back there. I'm sorry for that you had to pay for all of that stuff." Because the boy had spoken clearly, Arthur was able to notice an American accent.

"Where are your parents? Did you come to the store without them?" Arthur was getting curious. What was an American boy doing, stealing food in a supermarket, with no parents?

Suddenly, Alfred pointed to the sky. "Up there." He smiled a sad smile, making Arthur almost miss the turn into his driveway. The fact that he knew he was alone in this world, and wouldn't ask anyone to help him, surprised Arthur. The boy was trying to take care of himself, and wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry Alfred. But why are you here in England? You clearly are from America."

"A bad man brought me here. He took me on a big plane and he wouldn't give me any food, new clothes, and made me sleep outside. He never liked mommy and daddy, and always told me that they never loved me, so I ran away from him a year ago." Arthur was gobsmacked. _The man kidnapped him and abused the poor boy?_

"Do you know if anyone has ever tried looking for you?" By this point, the car was idle; parked in the driveway. He just wanted to know a bit more. He was so curious!

"Were you looking for me?" Arthur shook his head, "I guess not, then. Mommy and daddy had no friends, so no one knew they had a son, so no one has ever looked for me."

That was more than Arthur could comprehend at the moment. _Americans…. _He shook his head.

"Well, no sense staying in here. Let me bring the groceries inside, and cook you something more to eat. Do you like scones?" Arthur knew that no one really liked his cooking, but he felt sorry for Alfred, and needed to feed him SOMETHING.

"I don't know. I can't taste anything." Alfred had an innocent smile on his face, while Arthur practically tripped getting out of the car.

_Ageusia? I wonder if he was diagnosed with it… I doubt he would know. _"Well, let's get inside. I'm sure that I have some clothes that will fit you. My nephew's clothes will work perfectly." As he led Alfred to the trunk of the car, the child's stomach growled. Arthur chuckled a bit at this, and sped up the process of picking up the few bag he had, and heading into his house.

Arthur was indeed, above middle class. He wasn't quite rich, yet he owned a house that gave off the appearance that he was. It was a four story house with a basement, and it was more than needed for only one person, but Arthur liked his space. He also had a maid, whom he treated very nicely. He wasn't one of those heartless creatures who treat them like pigs. As he walked to the door, he was greeted by his maid, who was referred to as Seychelles. She had long, brown hair that, when not in pigtails, came down to the bottom of her back. She was called Seychelles because she spoke both French and English, usually mixing them in a unique way. She always speaks English to Arthur though.

"Good morning, Mr. Kirkland. Oh, who is this young man?" She bent down a smiled at the boy who seemed to blush a bit, as he hid behind Arthur.

"This is Alfred. Do you mind finding my nephew's clothes for him to change into?" She nodded, and quickly ran to fetch said clothes. Arthur went into the kitchen, Alfred following close behind, and set the bags down on a counter.

"Do you think you could help me put these away while I make you those scones I promised?"

"Um, sure mister.…." Alfred didn't know what to address him as, so he was at a loss for words.

"You can call me Arthur."

"How about Artie?" Alfred was beaming at the idea of his nick-name. With his smile and eyes, Arthur just didn't have the heart to say no. As he nodded his head, Alfred slowly began to figure out where everything went without Arthur having to tell him. When the scones were being shaped, Seychelles walked into the room, and displayed the clothes to Arthur.

"Will these do? I do think that I should give him a bath first, though."

"That is fine. Alfred," he turned to look at him, and saw he was struggling to carry the bag of sugar to a cabinet. Arthur walked over and took the bag, and continued, "This young lady here is going to give you a nice, warm bath, so if you would follow her and listen to her, I'll take you out for dinner. How does that sound?" He bent down and patted the boy's hair.

"Yeah! Let's go!" little Alfred shouted, as he dragged Seychelles out of the kitchen.

"Be good!" Arthur couldn't help but feel bad for Seychelles, leaving her with the hyper young boy.

As Arthur put the scones in the oven, he wondered where he was going to take Alfred to dinner if he was good for Seychelles. He went over to a magazine that had all of the local restaurants listed in it, and considering that he couldn't taste and Arthur wasn't a picky eater, they could go to any restaurant they wanted. Once he narrowed it down to two restaurants, Alfred had come down with Seychelles in tow, proudly displaying his clothes to Arthur.

"Look how cool these clothes are! Thanks Artie!" He ran over and practically tackled Arthur in a bear hug (if it could be considered that).

"Whoa there, Alfred."

"Hey! I'm not a horse!" he pouted as Arthur put him back on the ground. He chuckled at the young boy's statement, who continued to pout, but eventually laughed along with him. Arthur then heard the timer for the oven go off, and pulled the scones out. For the first time in a long while, they weren't burnt. "Those look really fancy! You really made those?"

Alfred's fascination was amusing to Arthur, who just chuckled again before answering, "Why yes. I did make them."

"That's SO COOL!" He reached for one of them, and before Arthur could stop him, he burned his hand on the tray. "Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow!" He began to make all sorts of noises, and Arthur rushed over to his as he began to cry. "It… hurts!" Arthur picked Alfred up, and headed over to the living room, opening up a nearby cabinet and pulling out a first aid kit. The tray was very hot, and had somehow managed to make Alfred's hand bleed a bit. Alfred had stopped crying, and was now blubbering a bit.

"It's okay to cry at home Alfred, especially as a little kid like you are now." Arthur began to pat Alfred's head, when Alfred tackled Arthur in another hug, sobbing uncontrollably. Arthur hugged him, and managed to carry him to the bathroom to run some water over his hand. When the ice-cold water rushed over his hand, Alfred winced and let out a small whimper.

"Sorry Artie."

"For what? Accidents happen sometimes. Now you know not to do that again." He smiled, and set the boy down on the ground, and began to wrap his hand in a bandage. When he was done, he sent Arthur back to the living room to eat the scones and watch some television. When he was out of sight, Seychelles tapped Arthur on the shoulder and he turned around to see a concerned look on her face.

"Sir, he has a lot of bruises and cuts on his back. I treated them but, I don't know what they are from. They almost seem like claw-marks."

_That man probably did this to him. Alfred did seem skittish whenever I touched him…_

"I'll ask him about it when we go to dinner tonight. Would you like to come, Seychelles?"

Her face immediately lit up with happiness, "I would enjoy that very much, Mr. Kirkland." With that, she was off to finish her duties for the day so she could go to dinner with them later on in the day.

_Everyone will probably think she is my mum. After all, I'm only sixteen._

***GASP!***

**Arthur is only a teenager? Where are his parents? How did he obtain so much money? What is the square root of schizophrenia? I don't know… now I am just being random. Well, in the next chapter you will be given more information of Alfred's past, as well as how Arthur came to have so much money, and is living on his own at this age and out of school so early! It'll be up soon! Probably next weekend, or sometime this week. Eh. School and archery. **

**Well, please review! It's kind of early to favorite this story, but if you feel the need to do so, go ahead!**

**TheCrumpetThief432836 OUT! *mock salute***


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Okay well, right from this point, I am just going to continue on with Alfred's past. I will obviously advise you in this little thing right here when it is no longer his past, which will not be for a while. I really hope you don't judge stories too quickly and at least read this chapter as well. *Scratches head* I'm not quite used to writing these but, we all have to start somewhere, don't we? Right… onto the story!**

Arthur had finally asked Alfred about what restaurant they should go to, and displayed the two choices he narrowed it down to. One was an Italian restaurant, which wasn't too fancy and pretty simple looking. The other was a simple family restaurant, which Arthur hoped Alfred would pick, due to the fact that he loved going there. Happily, he chose the one Arthur liked, and Arthur decided that the two sets of clothes his nephew Peter left here wasn't going to suffice for Alfred.

He decided they should go shopping. Seychelles stayed at the house to prepare a room for Alfred, so they would have to come back for her. When Alfred was told this, he became ecstatic. As they went to a nearby store, Arthur had noticed that Alfred's eyes seemed to grow wider as they went more towards the clothes department. Clearly, Alfred hadn't been taken shopping in a long while.

"Well, since you are the same size as my nephew, go ahead and pick the same size clothes as the ones you are wearing. I'll follow you, so you can hand me the clothes." Alfred nodded, and went to the first rack he saw.

_This is going to be a long day… _

Arthur sighed, and was suddenly handed three shirts, and two pairs of shorts, along with one pair of pants. Arthur was surprised how quickly the boy could pick out MATCHING clothes. A few minutes of this routine continued on, and they then headed into the changing room. All of the clothes fit him like a glove, and were immediately purchased. This was a process that took no more than 45 minutes, so they headed home one again.

Alfred was fascinated in London, England. He hadn't seen much of it at all, despite that he had been running around for a while. Arthur took him to Queens Ice & Bowl, and eventually headed over to Namco Funscape. Arthur had made sure that they went on the London Eye, as Alfred had refused to go to dinner until he went on it.

Alfred wasn't even tired yet! He had skated for an hour, bowled for an hour, and they spent another two and a half hours fooling around at Namco! Arthur was ready to collapse but he knew he couldn't yet, for he had to take Alfred to the promised restaurant. As they drove back to the house, Arthur received a call from the house. He quickly answered, and heard Seychelles' pained voice on the other end.

"Mr. Kirkland, I'm sorry but I won't… ow! Careful…" She moved her head away from the phone to yell at someone, "Sorry. As I was saying, I won't be able to join you and Alfred for dinner tonight." Arthur was scared. Seychelles never turned down going out to dinner.

"Are you okay? You sound like you are in pain. I'm coming home right now; in fact, I am only three blocks away." Arthur was very worried. Without realizing it, he sped up just a bit.

"I apologize sir, but while I was preparing Alfred's room, I dropped the dresser on my foot and… well… it is now badly broken. I called France to come over to help, and then advised you."

"That is completely fine, Seychelles. Please, take as much time as you need off. We shall be fine. Here, I am pulling in the driveway now. You are welcome to stay here. I can take care of you."

"Oh no sir, it's fine. I can go home. I have a friend who can take care of me. It's no problem at all."

"Hang on I'm coming in right now." Arthur hung up the phone as he entered the house, Alfred close behind. He saw Seychelles at the top of the second floor, dresser laying barely five feet away from her, with Francis attempting to pick her up in the most comfortable way possible. It took him a minute to do so, but he managed quite well. "Seychelles, I must _insist_ you stay here. Considering Francis is a certified doctor, he can visit to check on you. Just take your holiday early. I will pay Francis for all of this, and Alfred and I can take care of you. I'd rather it that way, considering it was my fault you got injured."

"Well, if you insist. Where will I be staying though? Alfred has the only other current bedroom in the house. It isn't set up yet though."

"You shall take that bedroom. For now, Alfred will sleep in my room. Did you get the sheets and blankets on the bed upstairs before this happened?" She nodded her head. "Okay. Francis, if you would be so kind as to take her down the hall and two doors down on the left to her room. Do what it is you need to do, and I shall pick up this dresser." They all went to work, and Arthur managed to get the dresser to slide across the carpeted hallway quite nicely. It took longer than just picking it up, but it was heavy!

Once the dresser was in the room and properly placed in the far left corner, Francis nodded at Arthur and he smiled back. This was typically their way of communicating. They weren't the best of mates, as they argued a lot.

Alfred was downstairs, playing with the television remote. He was flipping through the channels, never being able to find anything of his interest. He looked so intent on finding a channel, that he hadn't noticed Arthur in the room.

"Alfred, it's time to go to dinner."

"Is Seychelles coming too? Is she okay? What happened to…" Arthur placed a finger on his lips, as a sign for him to hush.

"One question at a time, lad. Unfortunately, no. She isn't going to be joining us this evening, as he foot is broken, and she is in great pain."

"Well then I don't want to go out! I want to stay here and help her get better!" Alfred stood up and puffed out his chest, as if he was a super-hero.

"You are a handful, you know that?" Arthur laughed, and walked over to where Alfred was previously sitting, and sat down himself. Patting Alfred's head, he looked at the boy very seriously, "I want you to behave yourself, okay? You and I both have to help Seychelles get better, so you can't ask her to do things for you. If you need help, just ask myself or Francis when he is around." He walked over to the television and shut it off. "You will be staying in my room for a while, seeing as though Seychelles has the only other bedroom."

"Awesome! You have my word! I won't bug Seychelles about anything, and will only help her get better! That's what a hero does!" Giving the thumbs up to Arthur, he flashed his radiant smile that somehow remained the only thing that didn't need to be fixed when Arthur found him.

"Alright kiddo, would you like to help make dinner tonight?"

"YEAH YEAH YEAH!" Alfred sprinted to the kitchen, and Arthur was amazed at his speed. _He sure does act like a super-hero._ Arthur shook the thought from his head, and went into the kitchen himself.

They had eaten a simple meal, as Arthur is not a good cook. They had talked over the meal about simple things, like what Alfred had seen on television, or what he did while they were out that he thought was awesome. Now that the meal was over, Arthur had pulled out the dessert, hopefully keeping the mood happy while he is about to ask Alfred some serious questions.

The dessert he had pulled out was a chocolate cake he bought at the store when he first met Alfred, and thought it was fitting. He can't believe that it hasn't even been a day since he met the young lad. He excused himself from the table to go and deliver Seychelles her food, upstairs. She thanked him, and began eating. She smiled, seeing as how it actually tasted good.

"It's very good, sir. Thank you."

"You aren't just saying that right? I know, I'm a horrible cook, but Alfred helped me this time."

"That might be why it tastes better than it usually does."

"I'm glad you like it," He moved to the door as he spoke, "I'm sure that Alfred will be pleased to hear that." He closed the door behind him on his way out.

Returning to the kitchen, Arthur saw that half of the cake was already gone. "Did you eat all of that by yourself?" Arthur wasn't angry, he was just astounded.

"Yeah! I was really~ hungry, and it was a really good cake!"

"Well, anyway, Seychelles liked the dinner you and I made." He smiled at Alfred, who jump out of his seat, and began to run around the kitchen, doing a little dance that he created right on the spot.

"We should make her another meal again tomorrow!" He beamed with excitement.

"You don't have to suggest it, we are already going to do so; we have to every day in fact."

"REALLY? That's so cool! Wait, are we going to make her breakfast and lunch too?"

"Well, France will be here to take care of that, but if you are home and would like to help him, I'm sure you could ask him." He crouched down and smiled at Alfred, and Alfred suddenly looked a bit worried; scared would be more appropriate to describe the expression.

He suddenly changed the conversation. "Can I have another piece of cake?" Smiling yet again, Arthur went over to cut two pieces out; one for himself and one for Alfred.

"Alfred, I've been meaning to talk to you. Do you mind if this is your last piece of cake?"

"Okay Artie!"

After Arthur slowly ate the overly-sweet cake, and was preparing everything that he was going to ask and say to Alfred very carefully. He didn't want to upset the boy, but he wanted to at least get further information on where the cuts and bruises on his back came from. As he was about to put one of the plates into the sink, his hand went numb and he dropped it, feeling very dizzy.

Alfred didn't run to Arthur though. Instead, he curled up into a ball, and put his hands over his head, trembling. Once Arthur regained his balance and proper eyesight, he saw how Alfred was reacting.

"Is something wrong Alfred? Did you get hurt?" He placed a hand on Alfred's back, forgetting about the cuts and bruises, and not even thinking about what that man Alfred had been living with had done to him. Alfred immediately flinched away, making a small whimper from the pain.

"Don't touch me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry…I'm sorry…." Curling up into a ball again, he sat down on the floor and cried. He was shaking violently now, and sobbing uncontrollably. Arthur felt terrible, but was also very enraged. How could someone do something like this to a child?

Slowly, Arthur moved towards Alfred, but was careful not to place a hand on him this time. "Alfred… hey Alfred… it's okay…it's me, Artie. I'm not going to hurt you… You're safe here." Arthur looked around for something to calm Alfred down, when he saw the cake from earlier, sitting on the table. He cut another piece, and continued to talk to Alfred. "Alfred, please calm down. Look, I have cake. It's okay, I promise not to hurt you. I could never do that to you." He placed the cake and fork down in front of Alfred, and Alfred looked at the cake; eyes red and irritated, face pale, and nose running. He looked at Arthur, who just smiled and said, "I promise."

Even though Alfred had stopped crying for the time being, his face broke into a wrinkled mess, and he ran to Arthur, hugging him and crying once more. Arthur just sat on the ground, Alfred in his lap, rocking him back and forth.

"It's okay…It's okay." He stood up slowly, as though not to drop Alfred, picked up the cake, and headed upstairs to Arthur's bedroom. He placed the cake down, and Alfred still wouldn't let go of him. He didn't blame the boy, so he just kept embracing him, but not too tightly. Suddenly, the crying died down, and Alfred's grip on Arthur loosened. He looked up at Arthur.

Sniffling, he choked out, "Y-You'll ne-ever hit me ri-ight? Or send a dog after me?" As Arthur grabbed a tissue for Alfred's runny nose, he replied.

"Of course not. I'd never do anything like that. Is….. that what all of those scratches are from?" Alfred nodded, sadness coming over his eyes. Another tear escaped, and Arthur brushed it away with his finger. "Don't worry, love. They shall disappear soon enough." He cradled the young boy in his lap, rocking back and forth as though to calm him down. Once again, a feeling of dizziness set in, and he had to stop rocking. He placed the boy next to him and held his head in his hands.

"Artie? Are you okay? Lay down! Lay down!" He began to lightly push Arthur down onto the bed so he would lay down, when suddenly Arthur passed out. "Artie…?"

Alfred had no idea what happened. Arthur looked pale, he felt hot, and his breathing sounded funny to Alfred; bad funny. Alfred knew that Arthur liked tea, as he saw him drink many cups of it today. He went into the kitchen, and grabbed a cup, a tea bag, and filled the cup with hot water. He figured out how to make tea very easily, and hurried back upstairs.

Placing the tea on the table beside to bed, Alfred noticed that Arthur hadn't looked any better than before. Suddenly, he remembered how his mom used to help him feel better when he was sick. Alfred climbed onto the bed, sat next to Arthur, and began to sing.

"You Are My Sunshine  
>My only sunshine.<br>You make me happy  
>When skies are grey.<br>You'll never know, dear,  
>How much I love you.<br>Please don't take my sunshine away" He had remembered this song since he was even younger than he is now. He continued on.

"The other night, dear,  
>As I lay sleeping<br>I dreamt I held you in my arms.  
>When I awoke, dear,<br>I was mistaken  
>And I hung my head and cried.<p>

You are my sunshine,  
>My only sunshine.<br>You make me happy  
>When skies are grey.<br>You'll never know, dear,  
>How much I love you.<br>Please don't take my sunshine away.

I'll always love you  
>And make you happy<br>If you will only say the same  
>But if you leave me<br>To love another  
>You'll regret it all someday;<p>

You are my sunshine,  
>My only sunshine.<br>You make me happy  
>When skies are grey.<br>You'll never know, dear,  
>How much I love you.<br>Please don't take my sunshine away.

You told me once, dear  
>You really loved me<br>And no one else could come between  
>But now you've left me<br>And love another  
>You have shattered all my dreams;<p>

You are my sunshine,  
>My only sunshine.<br>You make me happy  
>When skies are grey.<br>You'll never know, dear,  
>How much I love you.<br>Please don't take my sunshine away" He hesitated, as he had forgotten the next verse. So, he began to sing about his old home, when he lived back in America.

"Louisiana my Louisiana  
>the place where I was borne.<br>White fields of cotton  
>- green fields clover,<br>the best fishing  
>and long tall corn;<p>

You are my sunshine,  
>My only sunshine.<br>You make me happy  
>When skies are grey.<br>You'll never know, dear,  
>How much I love you.<br>Please don't take my sunshine away.  
>Crawfish gumbo and jambalaya<br>the biggest shrimp and sugar cane,  
>the finest oysters<br>and sweet strawberries  
>from Toledo Bend to New Orleans;<p>

You are my sunshine,  
>My only sunshine.<br>You make me happy  
>When skies are grey.<br>You'll never know, dear,  
>How much I love you.<br>Please don't take my sunshine away." He finished the song, and looked down at Arthur. Alfred then jumped a bit, seeing as how Arthur was looking at him, smiling a very soft smile.

"I thought that song was supposed to be about a lover, not a state." He chuckled, patting Alfred's head.

"But that was the next verse! I know it was!" He pouted.

"Yes, and you did a very good job with singing it. Thank you Alfred." Arthur then noticed the tea sitting at his bedside. "You really are a good little boy, you know that?" He opened his arms as a signal for Alfred to hug him, and Alfred gladly accepted the offer. They remained lying on the bed for quite some time, just talking.

Arthur had discovered that Alfred did have a brother named Matthew, who had always been taken care of by his dad's friend, who also had a child. Alfred had no idea where his brother was, but still thought about him every once in a while. Arthur also discovered that Alfred had a sight problem, and he would need to get him glasses.

When Alfred had finally fallen asleep in the bed, Arthur got up and changed into his nightclothes, and lied down to sleep as well. He had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach though, as if he was forgetting something…

_Seychelles is fine… I've made an appointment for the eye doctor tomorrow… Everything is cleaned up… What could it possibly be? _He rolled over, and looked at the calendar on his wall. Reading the date, July 18th, he still wasn't able to pin point what he was forgetting.

_Let's think things over… Alfred is seven years old, had a sight problem, has a troubled past, and I am not sure if he has had any sort of education yet… _And that's when it hit him.

He would have to enroll Alfred in school.

About two hours later, Arthur had awoken to a dry and scratchy throat. He desperately needed a drink, so he headed down the stairs and into the kitchen for a glass of water. He needed to bring his tea cup down anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone?

When he entered the kitchen, he saw the refrigerator door opened, and little feet were standing on the other side of it. As Alfred stepped back with a piece of cake in his hands, he didn't even notice Arthur in the kitchen with him. He ran over to the table, and munched away on the cake.

"Alfred?" Alfred jumped again, almost choking on a piece of cake.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"Why are you up so late at night eating cake? You should be in bed!" He was trying not to sound too loud, as Seychelles was sleeping.

"I was hungry, and I had a nightmare. Usually when I have a nightmare, I eat my troubles away."

"Oh…" Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well next time, just wake me up first and ask. Not to mention the fact that if you were scared, you could have talked to me." He walked up to Alfred and grabbed his shoulders. "I know we have only known each other for a day, but you can always count on me to be there for you, and you can trust me. You are really important to me, and if I can help you, I would be okay with you waking me up at a ridiculous hour such as this." He took the plate that no longer had cake on it, and placed it in the sink, for him to wash later. "Now come on, it's time for bed."

The two went back up into the room, and feel asleep, Arthur holding Alfred's little hand so Alfred would feel safe.

**Just a sweet little chapter! Nothing special.  
>I honestly feel as if though I am rushing, like I am just jamming everything into one chapter at a time, and making the drama levels overwhelmingly high. Am I? Please tell me. I need to know otherwise it will keep happening and then my story won't get more fans and that will just cause a whole conundrum. <strong>

**Anyway, I hope you Enjoyed this Chapter! The Idea of Alfred going downstairs for a midnight snack was ****MDWOLFGIRL****'s idea! I found it to be very helpful with making a bit more of a fun ending rather than a cliff hanger. Those are for later chapters. Haha!**

**TheCrumpetThief432836 is going to sleep now! Nighty night! *11:37 pm on a school night. I'll scold myself later for this.***


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Okay, I apologize for the delay of this chapter being uploaded, but I just wanted to get another chapter out there before I disappear for like... a week and a half. XD That'll happen sometimes but eh, what are you going to do? Recently, school has kept be really busy, so the posting will grow a bit slower from time to time, such as the next week and a half. I have a lot on my plate right now, so bear with me.**

**Sorry if I do take a while to post some chapters, there is something wrong with my head that causes me great pain, so I'm a little slow at posting these. Also, if the behavior of Alfred doesn't make him seem like he is seven years old, I apologize. I am the youngest and have no younger nephews or cousins. Well, I do but he's only one.**

Arthur woke up the next day, earlier than he wanted to wake up unfortunately, but he was happy once again at the sight of Alfred sleeping so innocently beside him. He adored the little boy whom he had only known for a very short period of time, but this was a new experience for Arthur. He was finally taking on a task that required a lot of responsibility.

As he got up quietly, he attempted to walk out the door without waking Alfred. As he grabbed the doorknob, he realized this attempt had failed, because there was a small hand tugging on Arthur's nightshirt.

"You forgot to wake me up, Artie!" Alfred accused Arthur as he rubbed his eye, making Arthur send a sweet smile his way. Arthur wasn't much of a morning person; in fact he wasn't a morning person at all. Somehow though, Alfred seemed to make his morning shine.

Picking the boy up and putting him on his back, he retorted, "I don't recall ever promising to wake you up, lad." He stopped for a moment to open up the door, which was quite difficult considering her was holding a young boy on his back. After opening it, he asked, "Would you like me to do that, even when you get your own room?"

Alfred pouted a bit when Arthur mentioned the fact that he would soon get his own room; once Seychelles felt better, that is. "Well I don't want to wake up to nothing! That's boring and starts my day off bad!" He rolled his eyes, and Arthur laughed.

It was unusual for Arthur to parade around the house in his nightclothes. This might seem peculiar, seeing as though he was the only one ever at his house. What people didn't realize though was that he was shy about his body, which was quite thin, some would even claiming anorexic looking. He didn't want anyone to force him to eat more, so he never let anyone see how skinny he really was. Alfred, so far, was the only one to see his emaciated body.

Walking down the stairs was a new challenge for Arthur. He had to keep his balance with the half- asleep, half-awake child moving around on his back. When he finally reached the bottom of the stairs, he broke the silence between the two of them.

"What would you like to eat for breakfast? We could go out to breakfast if you'd like, along with Seychelles. Her wheelchair came in yesterday, due to the fact she cannot use crutches." Arthur, while saying all of this, had made himself a cup of tea, and poured a glass of apple juice for Alfred. Taking a sip to moisten his throat, he stated his reason for wanting to go out. "You do have an Optometrist appointment later, and I need to bring Seychelles to Francis' house." _Honestly, I don't know WHY she would want to even communicate with that frog… he can be a bit helpful sometimes but he just-_

"What's an Op-i-ta-to-mi-trist? Is he scary?" Arthur's thoughts were suddenly halted by Alfred's questions.

"Oh, not at all my dear boy. An Op-to-me-trist is a doctor who looks at your eyes to see if you need glasses or not. We can't have you go around not being able to read anything now can we?"

"I GUESS not… So what is he gonna do to me?" Arthur mentally slapped himself at hearing Alfred saying 'gonna'.

"Oh, he is just going to check your eyesight by showing you some pictures and letters. You have to be on your best behavior for the appointment, okay?"

Alfred stood on his chair, and gave a mock salute, "YES SIR!" Quickly, he ran upstairs to get dressed, most likely forgetting that his-

"Artie! Where are my clothes?" –Clothes are in his old room.

"Hang on! I'm going to come up now!" Arthur obviously knew that didn't answer Alfred's question, but Alfred didn't say anything back, and simply waited in the doorway of their current room. "Your clothes are not in that room, seeing as how Seychelles isn't permanently staying in your room; Your clothes are still in your old room," He paused for a moment to think. What if Seychelles wasn't awake yet? Arthur didn't want her morning to start off with a loud, screaming child, so he added onto his last statement, "But stay here for now. I'll fetch your clothes so that way we do not wake Seychelles up rudely."

"What? You don't trust me?" he cupped his hands around his mouth, and whispered, "See? I can be really quiet!"

Arthur thought about it for a second, before signaling for the boy to come over, as if they were spies. Alfred caught on quickly to the idea, and Arthur felt a great feeling of triumph as Alfred was as silent as a mouse.

Arthur gave Alfred the 'hush' sign, and opened the door a little bit to make sure that Seychelles wasn't getting dressed. He saw from the crack he was peering through, that she was still sound asleep. He turned back to Alfred and crouched down to his height.

"Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the lower, middle, and top drawers of the dresser on the far right side of the room, without waking the enemy up. Can you do that, agent Alfred?"

Alfred was getting the biggest thrill out of this, and nodded his head silently. He peered around the corner, and darted in. Arthur wouldn't have even known he had gone in if he wasn't watching him. He honestly never knew that Alfred could be so quiet!

About 2 minutes later, Alfred came out with an armful of clothes, and surprisingly enough, they matched. "Mission accomplished, agent Arthur! Fall back!" Arthur bent down, allowing Alfred to jump on his back again. They ran down to their room, where they both got dressed, Alfred needing some help adjusting the collar of his shirt.

"Okay Alfred, now you go into the living room, and entertain yourself for a bit, while I wake Seychelles up." With that, Alfred ran down into the living room where he jumped up onto the couch, practically messing up his hair.

That was another thing Arthur had noticed about Alfred. He always had this one cowlick of hair that refused to be restrained down with the rest of his hair. It added character to the boy, and made him look so much more animated than he already was. At least of Arthur ever went shopping with the boy, and he were to run off without him noticing, it shouldn't be too hard for the guards to find him.

Arthur sat down on the bed to put his shoes on, which were a brand new pair of Salvatore Ferragamo Side Gancino Moccasins. They cost him a good deal of money, but he didn't mind a bit. They were very comfortable, and went with almost anything he owned. Deciding it was high time he stretched his legs, he headed over to Seychelles room, and lightly knocked on the door.

"Seychelles? It's Arthur." He slowly stepped out from behind the door, being able to see the sleeping figure of Seychelles from his position, "Seychelles?" he called a bit louder.

She shifted a bit, and her eyes flickered open. "Oh? What time is it? Did I over-sleep?" She began to get out of bed, forgetting about her injury. She stepped on her foot, and flinched. Arthur helped her back into bed, before answering her.

"You can't over-sleep when you're injured, and it is about 9:30. Alfred and I were going to head out to get some breakfast. We were wondering if you would join us." He bent down on one knee as he said this, holding his hand out for her to take, so she could be led into her wheelchair.

She giggled, "Why it would be my pleasure, Mr. Kirkland." The two of them always acted like this towards each other, but it was completely friendly. Arthur didn't like girls, actually. Once, Francis had asked Arthur about Seychelles, to which Arthur replied:

'_I'm not attracted to women like that…' _He had practically mumbled this, and was forced to repeat this again. When Francis heard him the second time, Francis came out to Arthur as well. They had been dating when they were around fourteen, but that was over quicker than it had started. Francis annoyed Arthur to no end, as if they were an old married couple.

Once, Arthur had handed Seychelles her clothes, he left the room so she could get dressed in privacy. Even though he didn't LIKE women like that, he still believed it was wrong of him to stay in there. And yes, Seychelles knew Arthur's little secret as well.

Once she was done getting dressed, she called for Arthur, and he helped her into the wheelchair he happily purchased for her. He felt bad that she got hurt while doing something for him, and knew he should have called Elizabeth instead… She was much stronger, especially when she needed to hit someone; typically with a frying pan.

Arthur never thought of this… He had to get her down the stairs… on a wheelchair.

"Um, Seychelles? You might want to hold onto the wheelchair as I do this. I apologize."

"Oh no! It's not your fault at all! This wouldn't have happened had I not dropped the dresser on my foot! I'm so clumsy sometimes." Arthur shook his head at this. She was NEVER clumsy. But because Francis was there, she got nervous. Technically, it was the French idiot's fault.

Arthur miraculously managed to guide the wheelchair safely down the stairs, without Seychelles falling out. "Alfred! It's time to go!" he called into the other room. Looking outside, he saw that there were some clouds, and decided to grab two umbrellas; one for Alfred, and one for Seychelles and himself.

Alfred came running into the room, a smile plastered to his face. He looked at Seychelles with wide eyes, and waved to her, despite the fact that she was only about fifteen feet from Alfred. "How are you feeling? Any better?" He came over and looked down at her foot, being careful not to touch it. He moved his head all around it, which made Arthur pinch the bridge of his nose.

"It seems to be feeling a lot better! Thank you for asking," She paused for a moment to think, and continued, "And you do not have to call me Seychelles. You can call me…" Yet again, she paused. She knew she would have him address her differently, but she couldn't quite figure out what he should call her.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. Alfred and Arthur treated each other like brothers so…

"Big sister! Yeah, that will work perfectly!" She smiled up at Arthur, who just gave her a confused look. "Well, you two act so much like brothers, so I figured I should be his sister!"

_How did I get myself into this? Since when did going to the store to pick up something for dinner turn into a life-changing experience?_ Arthur did enjoy Alfred living with him, considering no one was looking for him and he was now in a better state than before, but he always had that looming cloud of stress hanging over his head. It was small, but always remained there as if it was his soul.

"Alright you two, let's head on over to the car. Alfred, can you push Seychelles to the car while I lock the front door?"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Alfred took hold of the wheelchair, and pushed his newly proclaimed 'Big sister' to the passenger side of the car. It was very easy for Seychelles to get in, due to the fact she was able to step in with her right (healthy) foot, and could just pick up her left (basically broken) foot and place it in the car.

Arthur had watched this all unfold, and never realized how tall Alfred really was. He was tall for his age, about 5'3" tall (about 160 centimeters). He also had re-gained the weight he had lost while he was on his own, which Arthur was happy to see. They boy ate a lot, so it was very easy for Alfred to gain the weight back in just twenty four hours.

Arthur made his way over to the car, and got into the driver's seat. He made sure both of them were buckled, even though Seychelles was older than him. "And… off we go." He was a very good driver, and backed out of the driveway with ease.

The drive to the small café was filled with Alfred telling the two adults up front about his dreams last night, adding hand signals that Arthur could see in his rearview mirror. The boy was just so animated that it seemed unreal. _Where in the world did he get his energy from?_

Somehow, the café had managed to have enough room for the building, as well as a small parking lot, and it was on a very building-filled street. The café was the only one around for at least three miles, so it was pretty popular; not typically at breakfast, but popular none-the-less. Plus, it had a ramp for wheelchairs!

Alfred was the first to get out of the car, opening the trunk to fetch Seychelles' wheelchair. Arthur helped her into the wheelchair, and Alfred desperately tried to close the trunk. He was jumping for the part that flipped up out of his reach, and eventually got a hold of it. Feeling very victorious, Alfred led the way into the café, Arthur pushing Seychelles up the ramp. They were quickly seated, and were handed the menus for the morning meals.

It wasn't a big selection, which all three of them liked, due to the fact that no one wants to think about what they would like to eat in the morning. Arthur always thought that choosing what you wanted to eat in the morning was a pain because you weren't fully awake to make a conscious decision. Seychelles just didn't like choosing, and Alfred couldn't taste anything, which works out perfectly.

Things had remained quiet as Alfred looked out the window to watch the cars passing by. Every now and then, you could hear him mumble a number under his breath, Arthur figuring out that he was counting cars that passed.

They all ordered and ate every last bit of their meals, Alfred reacting a bit differently to the food than how he normally does. _Maybe he really CAN taste and he just doesn't like my cooking?_

"Well Alfred, are you ready to go to the eye-doctor?" He leaned on the table, as if he was interrogating Alfred, who just stood up and pumped a fist in the air.

"Yeah! C'mon let's go already!"

_This was going to be a long day…_

Arthur remembered that day being a complete success. Alfred had gotten a pair of glasses, he managed to enroll him in school, and take Seychelles to the doctor. They had put a blue cast on, which Alfred was ecstatic over. He had signed his name on the cast with a **Black Marker**.

It has been many years since Alfred was that young and childish. Arthur looked out the bedroom window, laying still in the moonlight; a gentle fog approaching from the back garden.

_Where did the time all go?_

Arthur still was having problems sleeping, and couldn't seem to shake the thought of Alfred from his head. Honestly, he didn't WANT to. What he really wanted to do was think of Alfred in his teen years… back when Alfred was fourteen and Arthur had just turned twenty.

**Lazy Alex is being lazy…  
>This was going to be a longer chapter but… I thought it was appropriate to end there. I seriously apologize if this sounds rushed. I always do that when I get to the end of something. Oh, and when England insults France, I can't help but giggle because I, myself am French. Most German but ya know. :3<strong>

**For those who have been reading my story… I EDITED THE AGES! I was fond of the idea of them being very different ages, but I changed it for future purposes. I changed it in the other 2 chapters, but they are very miniscule changes so you probably won't notice.**

**Now you are probably wondering why I bolded the words 'Black Marker' and capitalized both words. Well, my friend and I are writing a new fan fiction! It is a FrUK story, and that is the title of it. **

**The only reason I am getting help with that story is because it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to write dialogue for France… I just can't.**

**Once again, I apologize for the delay, and the rush. You won't be seeing anything from me for a good week or so due to school and Christmas and all that jazz, but I'll be sure to send a Christmas present your way by uploading a new chapter! :D (Probably on Christmas eve.) If you don't celebrate Christmas, then Happy Holidays and this is just a random present I am going to give to you! I'm actually agnostic so I always say Happy Holidays because you never know what religion someone is!**

**Well, I need sleep because for some reason, I like to write these whilst drinking tea during the time in which I should be sleeping. **

**-Alex (TheCrumpetThief432836) out! *Peace sign* - Oh the irony… (French History joke)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**I'm still sick! This really sucks. Coughing, sneezing, talking like Canada…. Great for taking tests… .  
>Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter sounds like I was distracted while I wrote it, because now I can only write these in school due to the amount of work I am receiving all at once. Luckily, Winter break is coming up soon, so I'll probably post a new chapter as a little Christmas present. One chapter for this one and a chapter for my other fan fiction, The Black Marker. But for now, you guys can have this. Again, I apologize. . This is really late being posted…<strong>

**This chapter is going to be LONG because of the fact that when I post a Christmas chapter, it needs to be around December. So BLEH! That's why it is taking so long to upload this!**

**Once again, I changed the ages. Arthur is now 16. It's just odd for me to write them as so far apart in age, so I lowered Arthur's age.**

**XXX**

Arthur really liked when Alfred was just a kid, and was unable to stop thinking about when he was little. He began to think back to when Alfred had just started school.

_XXX_

They had gone to the mall to buy Alfred new clothes and school supplies. Arthur bought Alfred almost anything he wanted, within reason. Alfred was very picky about what he chose. He took all day just to even _consider_ ONE book bag! When he finally picked out what one he wanted, Arthur ended up buying him a black book bag with all sorts of crazy designs on it. Along the sides there were white lightning bolts, and on the front there was the Union Jack that looked as if it had been spray painted on. It looked quite stylish in a punk sort of way, but it didn't match any clothing that Alfred owned. Thus, they were clothes shopping.

Seeing as how Alfred was ten and could pick out clothes on his own, Arthur allowed him to pick out his own clothes this time. Alfred pretty much knew what he wanted to wear, but did ask Arthur for his opinion every now and again. He was very independent through this whole process. There were several outfits that Alfred picked out that Arthur thought made him look magnificent. One outfit especially struck a chord with Arthur; Alfred had worn Arthur's nephew's clothes the entire time he had lived with Arthur, which was now approximately a month. The two of them had grown very close, but when Arthur saw the outfit Alfred was wearing, he almost cried at how great Alfred looked. He was very happy that Alfred had re-gained the weight he lost while he was out on the streets. They hadn't known each other for long, but the bond that built between the two of them was very strong; unbreakable even. Arthur felt a bit of love towards the boy. It was strange though; it didn't feel like the love that was expressed towards a family, but more towards…

_A lover…._

Arthur shook his head at the thought. Instead, he looked back at Alfred who was checking himself out in the mirror. He had on a pair of dark, almost black, (almost) skinny jeans. Those were the type of jeans that Arthur still wears. They showed off Alfred's legs quite nicely. The shirt that he had on was an almost skin-tight shirt, but was just loose enough to make the outfit look a bit more natural, yet kept that punk theme alive.

Arthur didn't know how long he had been staring at Alfred, which was apparently a bit too long because Alfred finally piped up and spoke.

"Arthur? What are you looking at?" Arthur looked back up at his face, to see that he was blushing a bit.

_Why is he blushing…? _"Oh, nothing. Just making sure that outfit looked okay on you," He looked at the pile of folded clothes in the changing booth, "Are you all done shopping now?"

"Yeah!" he pumped a fist into the air, but then his attention went right back to the mirror, a nervous look spreading across his face, "Hey, um… when does school start?"

"On Monday. It's Saturday right now, so you have a few days to get ready. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. I'm just trying to get used to the fact I'm going back to school. I haven't been to school in good two or three years,"

_He is THAT far behind? Maybe I should have put him in the less advanced classes…_

"But luckily I have been able to go to a library and read. Books can teach you about a lot of stuff, plus they are entertaining! Especially when you don't have a television to watch! I bet I already learned about all of the stuff we missed! Haha!" He laughed so loudly it rang through the whole store, and made Arthur laugh along with him.

"Well, we will see when we get your progress report in November. Until then, just do your best, okay love?" That last part just slipped out. He covered his mouth with his hand, "Sorry that is just a bit automatic to say to love ones… I mean, oh bloody hell… how do I explain this?" He put his finger to his lip, as though that would help him. He looked at Alfred, who he noticed had turned a bright shade of red. Arthur looked away, and leaned back against the wall of the outside of the changing booth, "It's hard to expl-" he was suddenly pulled into the booth by Alfred, who locked the booth, pushing Arthur away from the door. "What are you doing?" Arthur was panicking. This was very unlike Alfred to act so violent.

Alfred walked towards him, careful to keep Arthur pinned against that wall, unable to escape. "I've been through a lot as a kid. Alone and abused, abandoned and unloved. No one knew of my existence, and no one cared if I was to die or not; No one, except for you. You're the ONE person who cares about me. I don't know if you love me, and if you do I don't know in what way," He had grabbed Arthur's wrists as he was saying all of this, and pinned them against the wall, "whether it's just brotherly or something more serious than that,"

_Oh bloody… he wouldn't dare… _Arthur's heart rate was off the charts, and he bet he was blushing too. Alfred was tall for his age, and could easily look straight into Arthur's eyes; due to the fact Arthur was a bit short.

"But all I know is that I've wanted to do this for a long time." Quickly, Alfred attempted to kiss Arthur, who closed his eyes out of shyness. He didn't move, and felt a pair of soft, warm lips press up against his. He knew the age difference, but honestly, didn't care at that point. He suspicions were confirmed, and he knew at that point he didn't just love Alfred as a brother or a son, but as a lover.

He wanted things to be like this, and not be wrong to the rest of society. He immediately kissed back, melting into the kiss. Almost as if they read each other's minds, Alfred let go of his wrists, and Arthur held Alfred's head in his hands. Alfred ran his hands down Arthur's sides, making his shiver. Alfred deepened the kiss, grabbing the back of his head and pulling it closer. Arthur felt Alfred's tongue brushing up against his lips, begging and pleading for entrance. Arthur resisted for as long as he could, but gave up when Alfred passed his hand over Arthur's sensitive spot on his back, making him gasp.

Their mouths fit together perfectly, and moved in perfect harmony to one another. Alfred explored Arthur's mouth, taking in every last taste he could. Arthur teased him a bit by biting his tongue lightly, and then pushing it out of his mouth. Arthur gained dominance, and Alfred sighed into the kiss. The kiss became more passionate, but the two were both running quickly out of breath. Eventually, they parted, and saw that they both were blushing.

"What books were you reading at that library?" They laughed, and Alfred stepped back.

"Well I have to have SOMETHING to read in my non-study time." Arthur shook his head.

"You're too young to read something like that, idiot." He messed up Alfred's hair, and then frowned a bit. "You do understand what society thinks of something like this, right? In both cases?"

Alfred nodded his head. "One, the age difference; Two, the fact that we are both guys, right?"

Arthur nodded his head sadly. "You seem to be acting a lot smarter than when I met you. Is the library the place you've been going to while I'm in my study?" He nodded again. "You're lucky I let you out all alone like that… Well, when we get home there will be a few rules that we need to go over, alright?"

"Rules? About what?"

"About us, Alfred," He leaned in closer, and began to whisper, "We cannot display public affection. That will get us weird looks, and possibly get me in trouble, especially when I turn seventeen this April." Arthur scratched his head awkwardly, "I honestly don't feel right about this at all, but when you're eighteen and I'm twenty three, people don't care at all! You are eleven now, and I'm sixteen. We are the same age difference then as well, but for now, it just can't be helped. Now come on, help me with these clothes." He picked up the pants, and Alfred picked up the shirts and his new shoes.

They checked out fairly quickly, seeing as how the store was pretty much going out-of-business because it didn't have enough money to pay for bills, there weren't a lot of people there. They were in the car when Alfred became fairly quiet. Arthur broke the silence, seeing a McDonald's coming up on the right. To cheer Alfred up, he pulled into the parking lot. It was lunchtime, after all.

Alfred looked up and saw where they were at. Instead of getting super-excited, he smiled. "Awesome. Thanks, Artie." There was barely any emotion in that response either.

"I just have one question before we go in," Alfred's odd behavior was annoying him, and he wanted to know what was wrong. "What's on your mind? You aren't acting like you usually do, so don't lie to me."

Alfred stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke. He chuckled, "Is it okay to hate society? He, I mean, if two people love each other shouldn't it be okay? I know why they don't approve of something like us in the age difference sense," He paused for a second to sigh, "but why does our gender matter? God loves everyone, not just straight people! Why don't people see that…"

Arthur sighed, happy that Alfred wasn't having second thoughts about them, "They are afraid of those who are different, like us," he put his hand on Alfred's back, attempting to comfort him, "but it's okay, love. Just don't condemn society forever; not everyone is like that, you know."

"Yeah… I know. I just don't understand why everyone can't accept something like us." Arthur pulled him into a hug, and released him a few seconds later, kissing him on the cheek.

"Let's go get something to eat, okay love?"

_..some hours later…_

"You have gone to the bathroom, eaten AGAIN, and you watered every plant that I own TWICE. Can you PLEASE sit down now so we can talk?" Arthur was getting very impatient. He really wanted to set the rules and limitations for his relationship with Alfred.

He already discussed his speech with Seychelles, and she was okay with it. Arthur was very child-like in physical appearance, as well as the fact that Alfred was much more mature for his age. He didn't always express this fact, but instead suppressed it and replaced it with his loud and eager personality.

"But now I am thirsty!"

"Don't start a sentence with BUT!" he walked into the kitchen to see Alfred digging through the fridge trying to find something to drink. He ended up taking a bottle of apple juice, and Arthur dragged him into the living room, throwing Alfred on the couch. He took the television remote so Alfred couldn't turn it on; due to the fact there wasn't any buttons on the television.

"You HAVE to take the remote too?"

"For your sake, as well as mine, yes. Now listen to me," He took a deep breath before he gave is mini-speech, "You do understand that the majority of the people do not accept something like us, correct?

"Yeah."

"Well, because of this, we have to limit displaying public affection."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why would we have to put a limit on our public affection? So what if people don't accept us, that shouldn't get in the way of our feelings!"

"How many books?"

"What?"

"How many books have you read on love and relationships?"

Alfred hesitated for a moment, recalling the numerous books he read at the library, and which ones were about love and relationships. "I guess about four."

"And what did they teach you?" Alfred stopped trying to open the bottle he had in his hands, and looked at Arthur, "I've read those books before, Alfred. I know what each of them says. There are only four books about love in that library, love."

Alfred looked defeated. "They taught me that love does have its limitations, and that… people who are, well, gay have a harder time showing affection to each other, due to the fact that some people don't accept something like that." He pouted, and Arthur sat down next to him.

"That is correct. Now, seeing as how you are only eleven, I believe you can live with that," suddenly, the phone rang, "Excuse me," he kissed Alfred's head and answered the phone on the other side of the room. "Hello?"

"Hi, Arthur! It's very nice to speak with you again. How are you?" It was Arthur's business partner, Matthew.

"Oh, Matthew! I'm doing perfectly fine."

"How about Alfred? How is he?"

Arthur then went over his story, leaving out that he and Arthur had kissed and were now (in a way) in a relationship. He told him stories that he couldn't recall today as he spoke, when he suddenly stopped and asked him, "Wait, why did you call me in the first place? I don't wish to get too sidetracked!"

"Oh right. Well, I have a small job for you to do. You still model, right?"

That's how Arthur made a living. He was a young male model. He got paid a great amount, and he could live life the way he wanted to.

"Yes I am. Did you find a place that would be interested in hiring me?"

"I wouldn't have called if I didn't!"

"Magnificent! Where is the job at?"

"Oh, well, I already bought you your plane tickets and it really isn't that long of a trip-"

"Where. Is. It?" Arthur couldn't stand when people avoided the subject.

"It's a 3 year contract, and it pays a lot-"

"Matthew."

He could hear the sigh on the other end of the line, and regretted the answer almost immediately.

"America."

..._December 2__nd__ …_

"So does this mean I'm not going to school?" Alfred was very excited to go back to America, where he was born. Arthur had to call the school he had enrolled Alfred in to tell them he wouldn't be attending because they were moving temporarily. Arthur looked at the boy sitting in the plane seat, and shook his head.

"You have one of two options," he held up his fingers, "One, you go to an American school, and make both of our lives easier. Or two, you are homeschooled and don't have the chance to meet new people. You may choose as you please."

"I think I'll just go to school…" He sat back in his chair, looking out the window. Alfred watched as the men loaded luggage onto the plane, and pointed out to Arthur when he saw theirs.

It wasn't a fascinating plane ride, seeing as how they both fell asleep. Alfred slept on Arthur' shoulder and Arthur's head gradually lay onto Alfred's. They were awoken by the screeching of the wheels landing on the rough New York airport's landing area.

Arthur was actually the one who woke up first. He had to shake Alfred awake, and they made their way away from the airport as fast as they could. They wanted to see their new apartment, for Arthur would have to look for a house soon, and Arthur personally wanted some rest.

When they finally got to their apartment, Alfred took their luggage out of the trunk very quickly, and wheeled almost all of it upstairs. Arthur picked up the rest of the bags, and locked his car. He didn't bother to rent one, and just had his shipped over from England in advance to them coming to America. Why waste money on a new car? Not that he had any money problems…

They entered the apartment, and to their surprise, Matthew had arranged for his friend Gilbert and his brother Ludwig to come and put furniture in, as well as fix up the place a bit!

It was marvelous, and made Arthur feel like he was in a smaller, more American version, of his home back in England. It was very simple, with the kitchen off to the right as you walked in, the living room to the left, and stairs right in front of you that led to the bedrooms and bathroom.

Arthur no longer had his own room, and had to share a room with Alfred. They were only renting the place until Arthur could find a real house for them. Until then, this would suit them just fine. They took their luggage upstairs, unpacked everything, and went into the living room to watch some television over two cups of hot cocoa. Alfred was getting very tired of the regular programs, and asked Arthur if they could watch a scary movie.

Arthur hadn't yet known of Alfred's fear of scary movies, and he learned about it the hard way.

Arthur allowed Alfred to pick the movie, and he picked out the movie "Hatchet". Arthur didn't mind movies like this; he enjoyed them in fact. As the movie began, Alfred scooted closer to Arthur on the couch. Arthur didn't notice, and the movie proceeded on.

Arthur's memory of the movie was majorly blurred, but his memory of what happened to Alfred was as clear as crystal.

The horrible deformed man just appeared, and it was so sudden, that Alfred jumped and screamed. He clung to Arthur, as though he was going to fall into the couch any moment.

"Alfred? Are you okay, love?" Alfred began whimpering, and Arthur held him close. He turned off the movie, and sat Alfred on his lap; all while still hugging the child. He rocked back and forth, trying to summon up a lullaby. What was it his mother always sang to him? What was it? 

"Sleep my child and peace attend thee,  
>All through the night<br>Guardian angels God will send thee,  
>All through the night<br>Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
>Hill and dale in slumber sleeping<br>I my loved ones' watch am keeping,  
>All through the night<p>

Angels watching, e'er around thee,  
>All through the night<br>Midnight slumber close surround thee,  
>All through the night<br>Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
>Hill and dale in slumber sleeping<br>I my loved ones' watch am keeping,  
>All through the night" He rocked back and forth through the whole thing, embracing the boy. He was about to continue, when Alfred looked up, face red with tears. Alfred then took Arthur's head in his hands and forced upon him a kiss that made Arthur feel like he was on top of the world. Arthur knew that he calmed Alfred down significantly, and was gladly accepting the loving kiss. It was closed-mouth though, so it only lasted about ten second. When they parted, Alfred leaned into the crook of Arthur's neck, and spoke in a shaky voice.<p>

"C-could you kee-ep singing? Please?" Arthur smiled, held the child, and continued.

While the moon her watch is keeping  
>All through the night<br>While the weary world is sleeping  
>All through the night<br>O'er thy spirit gently stealing  
>Visions of delight revealing<br>Breathes a pure and holy feeling  
>All through the night<p>

Angels watching ever round thee  
>All through the night<br>In thy slumbers close surround thee  
>All through the night<br>They will of all fears disarm thee,  
>No forebodings should alarm thee,<br>They will let no peril harm thee  
>All through the night.<p>

Though I roam a minstrel lonely  
>All through the night<br>My true harp shall praise sing only  
>All through the night<br>Love's young dream, alas, is over  
>Yet my strains of love shall hover<br>Near the presence of my lover  
>All through the night<p>

Hark, a solemn bell is ringing  
>Clear through the night<br>Thou, my love, art heavenward winging  
>Home through the night<br>Earthly dust from off thee shaken  
>Soul immortal shalt thou awaken<br>With thy last dim journey taken  
>Home through the night" Arthur stroked Alfred's hair, knowing he wasn't asleep yet. He was probably really scared from the movie. Arthur wasn't expecting that reaction from him at all, "Would you like to go to sleep now, love?" Alfred nodded his head, and Arthur carried him to his room. He placed him on the bed, and climbed in himself. Alfred got really close to Arthur, burying his face in Arthur's clothes.<p>

"Please, could you sing one more lullaby?"

He smiled tenderly at the boy. "Sure, love," He thought for a moment, and began to sing one last time,  
>"Angels full of love and light<br>Come down around this house tonight  
>As we sleep and as we dream<br>Please hold us in your golden gleam.

Angels full of golden light  
>Come down into our hearts tonight.<br>As we dream and as we sleep  
>Please hold us in your love complete<br>Amen" By the time he was finished this short lullaby, Alfred was already asleep in his arms.

**XXX**

**Long chapter is short. X.x**

**And sloppy chapter is sloppy. O.o  
>I'm sorry about this. . and I apologize that I keep changing the ages, but this is the set ages for them:<br>Arthur: 16 years old  
>Alfred: 11 Years old.<strong>

**This is only until after Christmas, and then they will be 17 and 12 when they go trick-or-treating. :D**

**Name of the first lullaby: All Through The Night  
>Name of the second lullaby: A Nighttime Blessing<strong>

**I really do apologize for the lateness of this chapter, as well as the fact that it is kind of sloppy.  
>THE CHRISTMAS CHAPTER WILL BE UP ON CHRSITMAS EVE! Until then, sayonara! -Alex<strong>


	5. Chapter 5 Christmas

**Chapter 5: Christmas**

**This is my little Christmas gift (or any other random gift) to my readers! My friends were saying that I should just make this a one-shot (they were saying this before I even began to WRITE this chapter…) and continue on with the story, but here is what the problem would be. In the story, even if I hadn't sped time up and skipped a few months of un-eventfulness, I still would've eventually needed to include Christmas in there! Therefore, I would suffer from writer's block due to the fact I would be out of Christmas ideas!  
>Anyway, Happy Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Happy Kwanza! (If I missed your holiday, I apologize.)<br>Now you won't be seeing me a lot once I get my England Cosplay Costume this Christmas from my father. I still need the boots and wig, but I shall just write fan fiction until I get them. So Enjoy!**

**XXX**

…_December 15…_

There were only ten days left for Arthur and Alfred to get ready for Christmas. They still had yet to set up a tree, wrap presents, and Arthur had to make out Christmas cards. He had many to send; One to Francis (who was currently taking care of Seychelles), one to Seychelles, another to Matthew (who would also be receiving a present with his card), and finally, one to Alfred to go along with his numerous gifts he had to wrap.

Arthur was showing Alfred how to properly wrap a present, and he was catching on rather quickly.

"Once you've taped the paper so it stays on the box," he showed how it wouldn't come off, "You just cut away any excess paper that is hanging from the present."

"I think… I got it…" he struggled with the tape, for it was sticking to all of his fingers. Eventually, Arthur had to help him break free from the tape-trap. His hands were more stuck than he thought, and Arthur actually had to cut his hands free!

"How in the world did you manage to do THAT?"

"I dunno." He cringed yet again at Alfred saying things like 'dunno' and 'watcha'. It irritated him very much. He looked over to Alfred's wrapped present to Arthur, and saw how well-wrapped it was.

"How did you manage to wrap my present so nicely, when your hands were a big, sticky mess?"

"I was playing with the tape after I wrapped that present. Wait… YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT YOUR PRESENT WAS, DID YOU?" Alfred looked scared and panicked, to which Arthur shook his head.

"No, love. I didn't see my present. I won't for another ten days you know. You won't be seeing any of yours either."

"Awww! Can I at least see just one?" He whined like he was eight years old.

"No, sorry Alfred. You have to wait like every other child in En- I mean America." Arthur kept saying England ever since he arrived in America, just out of habit.

Alfred stayed quiet, knowing that Arthur didn't quite like America that much. It was loud, the people were a bit obnoxious in manner, and personally, he was a bit homesick. Alfred learned to sense the mood and act upon what you felt was necessary from his friend he met at school, Kiku. He was an exchange student, like Alfred was. They quickly became friends, despite their differences. Alfred was loud and very outgoing, while Kiku was quiet and would rather be left alone by groups, and just accompany a single friend.

Kiku had come over to their apartment once, in fact. Alfred "forgot" to ask Arthur first, but Kiku made such a good first impression, Arthur didn't really care. He was searching for a house at the time, when Kiku told him that his mother was a real-estate agent. He was given her card, and he thanked Kiku for his politeness and kindness that he displayed.

"If you could get Alfred to act a little more like you, if it's not too much trouble, it would really be a big help." And Kiku did indeed manage to keep that promise to Arthur, for Alfred seemed just a bit more mature.

There was a bit of silence between the two, before Arthur spoke again. "So where is Kiku from?"

"Oh, I think he said he is from Japan! Isn't that cool? It's just like how I'm from England! There is this other kid who is an exchange student too! What was his name…? Yao? I think that's his name…"

Arthur was a bit surprised at the amount of exchange students in Alfred's school. "Is he from China?"

"Yeah! How did you know?"

Arthur chuckled. "The name is Chinese, my dear boy." He ran a hand through Alfred's hair, messing it up. Suddenly, the cowlick on top of his head stood up. Arthur tried putting it back down, but it simply wouldn't go back into place. "Oh dear, the cowlick won't go down again. Do you have any hair gel left?"

Alfred ran off to their room, and came back with an empty container. "Nope!" He popped the "p" as he spoke.

"We'll have to go out and buy some later," he paused, and found that Alfred didn't seem bothered by the hair, "Does that hair ever bother you, love?"

"No, I actually like it!" He stood up from his seat at the kitchen table, "It adds character!" He flashed Arthur his ten-thousand-watt smile. His teeth were always as white as the clouds in the sky (on a nice day), for that was one of the many things Arthur harassed Alfred about. He grew up being harassed about his teeth, and he learned the hard way why you should take good care of them. When he went to the dentist for a really bad tooth-ache once, his dentist said it was one of the worst cavities he had ever seen. They were going to give him laughing gas (Nitrous oxide), but they had none to give to him, and Arthur, being a little kid at the time, found it to be the most painful thing he had ever experienced. Then again, he wasn't very good with handling pain.

"Come on, help me the dishes away, love," He led Arthur over to the sink. "You know the routine?"

"Yeah! Ready?" he paused, allowing Arthur to get gloves on, "GO!"

They began their dish-cleaning routine; Arthur washing and scrubbing the dishes, Alfred drying them and putting them away. It was a good routine, for it got things done fast and easy. Arthur was very thorough when scrubbing the dishes, so it gave Alfred plenty of time to put the dried dishes away before having to do the next one.

They were almost done with the last set of dishes, which were used for simple things, when one of the dishes slipped from Alfred's hand and shattered on the ground. Arthur immediately stopped scrubbing the dishes, and looked at Alfred, scared. He remembered last time this happened, and wanted to be there for Alfred.

But Alfred did nothing; he just stood there, motionless. Arthur could see his bright blue eyes just staring at the broken plate on the ground, wondering what he should do next, but they were also very reluctant to cleaning up the plate. Slowly, he walked towards the counter, put the rag down, and turned back towards the plate. His face was pale and looked scared. Arthur couldn't take seeing Alfred like this anymore, so he stepped in.

"Alfred, its fine. I'll clean it up. You should go and sit down in the living room."

"O-okay…" He turned and walked away. Arthur remembered Seychelles discovering the scars and bruises on Alfred's body, and then finding out what they were from, but he wondered if that was ALL they were from.

_I'll ask him a bit later, maybe when Doctor Who comes on; he is usually willing to talk then…_

"Hey Artie?" Alfred's voice was shaking. Arthur turned towards him, only to see the red face of a crying Alfred. "Can I clean the plate up?" Arthur was gobsmacked by the question. _Was he trying to act brave?_

"Are you sure? I mean, it's okay, I can clean it up."

"I want to though," he sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve, "I'm not scared; I'm the HERO!" That was the Alfred that Arthur knew and loved.

"Well, alright then. Can I just ask you a question?"

"Go ahead." Arthur swallowed, almost gulping, before he continued.

"Were you ever struck with a plate? Is that why you panic when you drop a plate?"

Alfred's small smile formed into a sad smile, "Yeah, I was hit on the head with a few plates here and there, but I'm okay." He looked up at Arthur, smiling a bit brighter, "But I need to get over that someday, so why not start with today, right?" Arthur simply nodded, watching as Alfred quickly gathered up the pieces of the plate, throwing them away.

_Well, at least he has gained more bravery. I'm glad he is beginning to grow up and accept the negative things in life, just as a part of life..._

…_December 24…_

The day before Christmas; this was the one day of the year in which Arthur's spying skills would come in handy.

Alfred had been trying to peek at his gifts for the past week now, but Arthur had stopped him every time. He remained in the living room, even sleeping there if he had to. He would booby-trap the room with cans, cameras, and anything else he could use.

This night, however, was a night in which Arthur would have to really be on his guard. It was Christmas EVE, for heaven's sake! Alfred was going to be invading the living room with an army of aliens eventually! _Wouldn't that be a sight?_

It was around eleven A.M. when Alfred came out of his room. Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, so he had off from school on Christmas Eve. He rubbed his eyes, seeming more tired when he got up than when he went to bed. This wasn't unnatural of Alfred, for his energy followed him into his sleep. Alfred would toss and turn all night, even if he was having a good dream!

Alfred walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out two chairs a bit from the table. Arthur was a bit curious, but didn't ask. Alfred then took down two bowls from the cabinet, filled them both with cereal and milk, and placed them at the table, going back to get spoons.

"Love, why did you make two bowls of cereal? I already ate, you know." Alfred looked at him tiredly.

"Oh, my friend Tony slept over last night. Here, I'll go get him!" he ran off to his room, suddenly having a burst of energy. Arthur heard some racket, and then saw Alfred being carried down the hallway, piggy back style, by this grey thing! Arthur began to panic, thinking that Alfred didn't know what his little 'friend' really was.

"Alfred F. Jones! What is that?"

Between laughs, he managed to shout out, "It's Tony!"

Arthur wasn't one to believe in Aliens. Sure, unicorns, pixies, fairies, leprechauns, and all that jazz existed, but ALIENS? "Since when were you friends with an Alien?"

He thought for a moment, before Tony looked at him. "Oh right! Thanks Tony! We met after my parents died, but before I came to America. He used to visit me at night to make sure I was okay. We would talk for hours on end, play games…" As Alfred rambled on, the two went over to the table, Arthur just watching. He eventually followed them into the kitchen, and sat across from the two, watching Tony. He had no mouth, yet the spoon somehow just went into his skin! (If it could be called that.)

Once he heard Alfred stop talking, feeling bad that he basically ignored him, Arthur took their empty bowls over to the sink and placed them in. Then, he forgot about the presents that sat un-guarded underneath the tree. Quickly, he turned around just in time to catch Alfred searching for one of his presents, and Tony leave the apartment entirely. "Alfred!" He ran over to Alfred, not angrily, but in a playful way. Alfred dropped the present he was holding and ran for it.

Arthur chased him all throughout the apartment, when Alfred suddenly tripped, and was the trapped. He slid into a corner as Arthur slowly walked over to him, and then stopping. There was a moment of silence before Arthur spoke.

"I've got you cornered, so you know what your punishment is, right?"

"No… Artie! NO!" Arthur began to tickle the boy vigorously, never letting the boy catch his breath, "HA… ARTIE! Nooo! Stop! Haha!"

"It's your fault! Ha!" He couldn't help but laugh as Alfred struggled to break free of Arthur's torture. Suddenly, Alfred sprang up and pinned Arthur on the ground, tickling him, "since when... Ha ha… did you know... HA ha! I was ticklish?"

"If you weren't think would have been completely unfair!"

The two of them went back and forth, tickling each other without yielding even once, and by the time both of them were out of breath, it was already one in the afternoon.

Arthur really spoke between pants, while both of them were lying on the carpet, "Okay, time to make dinner for tomorrow."

"Does this mean we are going to go out for dinner tonight?" Alfred got really excited at his sudden realization, and sat up.

"Yes, and we are going to someplace very special tonight, okay love?"

Alfred nodded, and they began to make lasagna for Christmas dinner, a tradition Arthur had since he was twelve years of age. He had perfected the recipe, and Alfred had yet to try it.

_Alfred's Christmas was going to be full of surprises, starting tonight when we go 'out' for dinner..._

…_5:47 p.m.…._

"Artie, why do I have to wear this blindfold?" Alfred was in the front seat of the car, and Arthur was driving. He was driving to a place that Alfred wasn't allowed to know about until Arthur took the blindfold off his eyes, for it was Alfred's early Christmas present.

After about an hour of driving, they reached a large-sized house that looked nothing like a restaurant; it looked more like a mini-mansion than anything, "You may take you're blindfold off now, love." Alfred did as told, and gasped at the amazingly beautiful house he saw. It had columns out front, a large yard out back, and it was four stories tall. "Welcome to our new home, Alfred."

"Wow! Artie this… This is amazing! When did you do this? When are we moving in? Is this where we are going to eat tonight?"

"One question at a time, lad. Your friend Kiku gave me his mother's business card, and I called her up when I saw this house for sale. It thought it was similar to our house back in England, so I took up the offer and bought it! Now, we are going to be moving in the day after Christmas, and we are going to be eating dinner here tonight, yes."

"But wait, why aren't we moving in tomorrow? Or tonight?"

"Well, wouldn't you like to spend a bit more time in that apartment? I mean, that was our first home here in America that we shared. Plus, all of the presents are there. Plus, neither of us is packed!" Arthur patted his head, and Alfred laughed.

"Let's go in and eat! I'm starving! Plus I want to explore! IT'S HUGE!"

They both went inside, and were greeted by the two servants Arthur hired; a boy and a girl. The one was Spanish. He had fair colored skin, brown hair, and was very cheerful. The girl had blonde hair, light colored skin, and was also very cheerful.

"Alfred, this is Antonio," he gestured to the man, "and this is Ellen," He gestured to the girl, who curtsied, "They will be helping around the house."

"Awesome!" Alfred ran up to the boy and asked, "Could you show me around the house after dinner? IT'S HUGE!"

The Spaniard smiled, "Sure, mi amigo."

And so, they ate a great turkey dinner, Alfred was shown around the house which was practically the same exact thing as their house back in England, and then they went back home.

"Did you have fun today, Alfred?"

"I sure did, Artie! Haha!" he then yawned, "But now I'm really tired. What time should I set my alarm clock for?"

"Nine in the morning would be nice, considering all that we have to do."

…_Christmas Day: 9:30 a.m.…_

"C'mon! Just five more minutes of sleep!"

"You've gotten an extra half-hour of sleep! Now, get over here!" Arthur picked up Alfred ad slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I said nine, love. It's nine-thirty!"

Arthur finally placed Arthur down in front of the Christmas tree, and they opened their presents. There were a lot of ordinary presents between the two of them, when it finally came down to the last two presents; on for Arthur and one for Alfred.

Alfred unwrapped his present first. Up until now, he has gotten the typical toys and eleven- year old would get. This one, however, was very long and big. Alfred had no idea what it could have been until he opened up the gift. He gawked at the airsoft gun, and slowly picked it up.

"Now Alfred, this is only to be used outside; never inside. Do you understand?" All Alfred could do was nod his head. He was so happy that he was speechless, "I figured since you were eleven and we had a big yard, you could use it. Antonio can teach you how to use it."

"IT'S YOUR TUNR NOW! OPEN UP YOUR PRESENT!" He shoved the present into his chest very forcefully, because he was very excited about what he had gotten Arthur.

"Alright," He slowly began to tear off the paper, revealing a dinner plate. In the center, it had a scanned picture of him an Alfred putting up the tree that Tony had apparently took for Alfred. Around the edges, it read 'Arthur and Alfred's First Christmas'. Arthur was overwhelmed with emotion at the sentimental gift he just received, and opened up his arms for Alfred to give him a hug. He ran over, and Arthur kissed his cheek. "You really are the best thing that has ever happened to me, you know that?"

They stopped hugging, and shared a passionate, Christmas kiss, right underneath a mistletoe (courtesy of Tony standing on the back of the couch and holding it). They parted after a few seconds and embraced again.

"I love you Arthur."

"I love you too, Alfred."

**XXX**

**Okay! I am sorry this took so long to upload! I did manage to get it up on Christmas Eve like I say though!**

**This was really hard to write because I was distracted by so many things and then I also had an idea for my FrUK fan fiction that I am working on and it all just messed me up. Not to mention I had writer's block. x.x /facedesk**

**Anyway, Happy Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, etc!**

**I got my England costume, and now I need 3 things… Snow, A wig, and boots. :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Ello! Well, I have made it a New Year's Resolution to upload at east every two weeks, but I have to get used to this, so please don't yell at me if I don't upload in time. X.x Also, I got a Tumblr! That is where I will be updating you guys on my progress with these stories, put background information on some things such as characters and such, and I will also be holding mini-contests! They could be drawing challenges, scenario challenges, or anything else I might think of! Please go check out my page: .com/  
>I hope you enjoy this chapter!<strong>

**OH MY! I JUST GOT A BRILLIANT IDEA FOR THIS CHAPTER! *12:59 in the morning***

**XXX**

_February 13… (Alfred is now 13… refer to Tumblr for further information)_

Alfred returned home from school at 3:10 as usual, bringing along his friend Kiku. This was the usual routine for the two boys, seeing as how much they agreed on. They were absolute best friends, which quite frankly, made Arthur a bit jealous. He knew that Alfred didn't like Kiku though, so he felt a bit more comfortable about leaving the two boys alone. Besides, was Kiku even gay?

Alfred slammed the door shut, not angrily but a bit over-happily. He walked strangely close to Kiku, who didn't seem too bothered by this. Alfred walked over to Arthur, hugged him, and took an apple out of the fruit bowl that sat on the table in the living room. Arthur was reading the paper, but averted his eyes as he watched Alfred take Kiku's hand in his, and lead them to his room. Arthur was a bit suspicious. Sure, Alfred was a very happy person, and he and Kiku were best friends, but this was a bit odd.

This wasn't a normal type of happy. This type of happy was the, "I can't believe this has happened and I never want this to end" kind of happy. That might not be true, the type of happiness, but it was either that or a close relative.

After Alfred had closed the door, Arthur couldn't help but follow after them, pressing his ear against the door to hear what they were talking about. He heard the bedsprings in Alfred's mattress creak as one of them probably sat down on the bed; or at least he hoped.

"Alfred-san, what homework would you like to work on first? I think it would be of our best interest to get the harder work out of the way first, so when I leave, you can do the other work on your own." Kiku was always very insightful around Arthur and Alfred. Around others, he would be very quiet and basically agree with anything that the people around him said, or just refrain from speaking completely.

"Let's get started on the Math then; I hate math." Arthur shook his head.

_Yes but you will need it in life, you twit._

"Alright. How much of the homework did you accomplish in class?"

Arthur heard nothing wrong with the two, so he proceeded back downstairs. He figured he would make the two a snack, as a reward for all of their hard work at school. Ever since Kiku has been helping Alfred with his Math, his grade has gone up significantly. He decided to MAKE scones for Alfred, and bring up something pre-prepared for Kiku, for he knew Kiku wasn't fond of his cooking. Alfred's taste hadn't returned at all. Arthur did know much about his condition, though, so he wasn't sure if it would EVER return.

After kneading the dough thoroughly, he cut out the triangle shapes and placed them on a tray. Once he had cut out and placed them on the tray, he put it in the oven, and sat down on the counter. He was very mature for his age, but there was also that little kid part of him that showed every once in a while. He swung his legs back and forth, and Ellen came into the kitchen.

"Sir, I could have made the scones for you." She smiled at Arthur, and he shook his head.

"They are for Alfred."

She nodded her head, "Ah, I see. Where is he anyway?"

"Upstairs with Kiku. They are working on math homework."

"I've heard Alfred's grades have gone up since Kiku began to help him! They are both such bright boys!" She smiled a bigger smile than before, checking on the scones in the over to make sure they weren't burning.

"Kiku has been a great help with many things. He really is a nice boy." Arthur scratched the back of his head. _Maybe Alfred dating Kiku wouldn't be a bad thing… After all, we still have that big age gap…_

"Arthur, the scones are done." Ellen pulled them out of the oven, using Arthur's over mit.

"Thank you, Ellen. You should take a break, you look a bit tired."

"Not at all, sir, but thank you!" With that, she ran off, leaving Arthur to the quiet nature of the kitchen.

Arthur put the six scones on a plate, leaving three for himself. He took out some chocolate pudding for Kiku, knowing that was a favorite of the young boy's. He would have brought them up drinks, but he knew if the two needed them, they could fetch them. Walking up the stairs, he heard nothing coming from Alfred's room. The two weren't even talking. _They must be hard at work…_

Arthur knocked, but Alfred didn't respond. Arthur always promised Alfred he would knock before coming in, and he did, so he entered the room. When he saw the scene that was going on in the room, he almost dropped the scones and pudding, but managed to keep his hands in control. The two boys didn't seem to notice him from the other side of the room, seeing as how Alfred had a rather large bedroom, and a very quiet door. He quickly placed the scones on the table, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

He should've expected this.

(In Alfred's bedroom)

The two boys had just finished both their math and English homework, when Alfred flopped down on his back from his position on the bed. "I'm so tired of homework. What do we have left to do?"

"All we have left is to finish our project for health class. Remember? We have to do a report on both the male and female reproductive systems."

"The female's grosses me out. Actually, the whole project grosses me out. I don't wanna know what's inside of me! It's not like I am going to perform surgery on myself."

"That is true, but you need to know if something is wrong with a part of your body, and by knowing what your body should be doing, you can have an easier time telling if something is wrong."

Alfred sighed, "Can we at least take a break? My hand hurts from writing."

"Of course. A break is always healthy whilst working." Kiku looked at Alfred's bed, but not before yawning. "This environment always makes me quite tired."

Alfred sat up and raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" Kiku nodded his head, "You can lie down on my bed if you want for a few minutes. I don't mind." Kiku knew Alfred was up to something, but he really didn't care what it was; he was tired.

He walked over to Alfred's bed, and laid down beside the other. Kiku was careful to stay in his space, but Alfred didn't seem to want to stay in his own space. Instead, he moved closer to Kiku, and their hands touched. Alfred looked over to Kiku, and the boys smiled. "You know, Alfred-san?"

"Your sister told me." Kiku turned his head back up to the ceiling with a blank stare for a few moments, but his smile returned as he looked at Alfred. The young boy gripped Alfred's hand, and felt a lot less tired. Alfred moved a lot closer to Kiku, seeing as how they basically asked each other out without saying anything.

Kiku moved closer to Alfred as well, and nuzzled his face into Alfred's neck. Alfred was so warm, and he began to feel less tired by the second. He almost felt a bit excited, to say the least. Alfred, on the other hand, was very, very excited, and licked his lips eagerly. Kiku looked up at him, and slowly, the two boys kissed. Feeling uncomfortable lying down, the two sat up and continued kissing, Alfred wrapping his arms around Kiku's tiny neck.

Surprisingly, Kiku was the first to make a move. They had been kissing closed- mouthed for about two minutes, when he licked Alfred's lips lightly, attempting to open the young boy's mouth. Alfred shivered a bit, but obliged the other and allowed him entrance. Kiku smiled into the kiss, and slipped his tongue into Alfred's warm mouth. He teased Alfred a bit, playing with his tongue and then caressing the roof of his mouth. Alfred grew more pleased with this, and he slid his hand under Kiku's shirt. With anyone else, Kiku would've immediately backed off, but because the two knew each other for years, he allowed Alfred to do as he pleased.

Their tongues danced, Alfred's hands explored Kiku's chest, eventually taking off his shirt, and parting from the kiss. Kiku knew exactly what Alfred was going to do next, and he craned hi neck a bit, and Alfred immediately started kissing his neck, experimenting a bit. He began to suck a bit on the boy's neck, and eventually found the spot that made Kiku let out a small moan. "Found it," Alfred said in a really low and quiet tone.

Alfred and Kiku, yet again, were uncomfortable with their position. Kiku laid down on the bed, and Alfred straddled him, continuing to plant kisses all the way down Kiku's chest. He didn't dare go any farther than Kiku's belly button. Kiku was trying his best to remain quiet, so that way Arthur wouldn't hear the two boys.

Kiku had been gripping the bed sheets, which by now was irritating his fingers, so he let go of the bed sheets, letting out a pleasured sigh, and he ran his hands through Alfred's hair, playing with it. He pulled Alfred's head up, now really getting into their little experimenting session, and kissed him passionately. He wrapped his legs around the boy's slender waist, and the two went on like that for a while, just kissing and caressing each other.

At this point, Arthur had walked in, but neither of them had noticed. He was too quiet, and they had their eyes closed. And as soon as Arthur left, the boys had parted, not even knowing how good their timing was.

They looked at each other, but Kiku seemed saddened, not excited like he was a few minutes ago.

"What's wrong Kiku?" Alfred climbed off of Kiku, and handed him his shirt. Kiku never cried, and when he did, all that happened was tears would stream down his face. He never made any noises, or wrinkled up his face. Right now, Kiku was crying. "Did… did I do something? Whatever it is I'm sorry Kiku I really-"

"I… I don't like you like that…Alfred. I just got caught up in the moment and was enjoying myself too much. I… I'm sorry. I like someone else…" Alfred wasn't the least bit surprised at this.

"No worries bro; friends?" He held his fist towards Kiku, and they bumped fists. Then, they shared a hug before returning to their homework.

(Outside Alfred's bedroom)

Arthur was sitting up against a wall near the door, holding his head in his hands. How could Alfred and Kiku do that to Arthur? Kiku knew as well as Alfred did that Arthur and Alfred were together, but they didn't seem to care about that. He ran a hand through his hair.

_I knew something was going to happen. I mean, after all we DO have a big age gap…_

Arthur stood up, unable to think clearly. He went over to the coat closet, pulled out his coat, and headed for the door. "Ellen! I'm going for a walk." Without waiting for a response, he stepped outside into the wind and rain, not bothering to take an umbrella.

Ellen walked over to a window, knowing not to follow him. She looked at the calendar that hung in the kitchen, and notice Arthur had an in-house appointment with Matthew. "Oh dear… What shall I do about that?"

Arthur had walked away from the house rather quickly, but slowed down when it was out of sight. He really needed a walk to clear his mind, but had no idea where to go, and he was getting soaked in the process. He hung his head, water running down the sides of his face and hair sticking to his face, and just walked straight. He honestly didn't care at this point where he went, or ow long he was out, because he knew that Antonio would cook them all dinner, and Arthur could just buy something for himself. After all, he had about two hundred dollars in his…..

Wallet. He had left his wallet at home.

He stopped for a second, contemplating whether or not he should go back and get it. It didn't take him long to deny going back to the house, just to make sure he didn't run into Alfred or Kiku. He really didn't care where he went at this point, seeing as how he had no money.

Back at the house, Alfred and Kiku had just finished their snack that Arthur made them, and came downstairs for a drink. Alfred had expected Arthur to be on the couch reading the paper, but he didn't see Arthur there. He knew Arthur didn't stop reading in the middle of the paper, and if he did, he at least would put the paper away and not leave it sprawled out like it was now.

They walked into the kitchen, and still no sign of Arthur. They did, however, see Ellen, who was looking at the calendar and shaking her head. "He really had to do this? Now I have to call Matthew and tell him to reschedule… " Alfred cleared his throat, and Ellen jumped, "Oh! Alfred, Kiku; you boys scared me!"

"Sorry Ellen. Where's Arthur? He left his paper out…" Ellen looked uncomfortable.

"Oh, well… Um…" she sighed. There was no used in hiding the truth from the boys, for they would find out sooner or later, "He ran out."

"On an errand?"

She shook her head sadly, "No… he had nowhere to go. He needed to go for a walk." Ellen was very smart, and knew Arthur's behavior quite well. Usually, Arthur would give her a time that he would be back, but she was worried about him this time. He just ran out; no time was given, "I'm worried about him…"

"Worried about who?" All three of them jumped, and turned towards the door to see Matthew standing there. "Where's Arthur? Doesn't he know we have a meeting today?" He turned towards the two boys, "Hello Alfred, Kiku."

"Hello, sir." They said in unison.

"Um, Mr. Williams," Ellen interjected, "We have a problem. Arthur ran out again."

"Oh, when did he say he'd be back?"

"He didn't."

Matthew froze. "He must've. You probably just didn't hear him, eh?" Ellen shook her head, "Oh man… Alfred, Kiku, get in my car. Ellen, you and Antonio stay here until we come back. If Arthur returns, call my cell phone." He turned, grabbed his jacket, and opened the door, "Let's go boys."

The two went over to the coat closet and grabbed theirs; all while being dragged outside by Matthew. "Mr. Williams, sir…"

"Call me Matthew. It's easier."

"Okay Matthew. I have a question. Why did Arthur run out of the house? And why is everyone so worried? He always comes back-"

"If he gives a time. Usually he would say that he is going out and will be back around a certain time. He never told Ellen a time, so something bad must have happened to him." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Did he seemed stressed or suspicious? Have you done anything that you wouldn't want him to know that MAYBE he found out about? Anything at all?" Matthew never spoke this fast an urgent, "Kiku, I'm going to drop you off at your house, alright?"

Kiku nodded. Alfred was looking out the window, blushing slightly. "I knew I heard footsteps…"

"What, Alfred-san?"

"When you and I were in my bedroom… making out… I thought I heard very light footsteps, but I assumed they were outside of my room. But now that I think about it, when did the scones and pudding get into my room?" Kiku's eyes winded a bit, and then he blushed, but then a frown spread across his face. Matthew pulled into Kiku's driveway.

"I'm sorry Alfred. I'll see you at school. I hope you find Arthur soon." He ran into his house, due to the fact that it was raining.

"Okay Alfred, hop up here in the front seat. It'll be easier to see out the windows. Meanwhile, could you tell me exactly what happened between you and Kiku?" Alfred gave him a puzzling look, "Well I understand you two were kissing, but I would like to know how far it got. It'll help us in our search for Arthur. I need to know how upset he would be."

Alfred hesitated a bit, but eventually answered, "I was straddling him and he had his shirt off…"

"I see," there was another pause, "Has Arthur been frequenting a place recently? A certain shop or place within walking distance that he might go?"

Alfred thought for a moment, "He can't be going to any shops because he left his wallet at home… so there really aren't too many places he could go… I can only think of two… The park and the docks."

They were just about to pass the park, a when Matthew made a sharp left turn into it. He parked the car, grabbed an umbrella, and told Alfred to follow him, handing him an umbrella. "I'll check the east side of the park, and you check the west side, got it?" With that, the two were off, calling out Arthur's name, checking under bushes and benches and everything around them. Alfred even went so far as to check in the fountain!

After about half an hour of thorough searching, they returned to the car, and went over to the docks. They asked everyone they saw if they had seen Arthur, obviously describing him. Most people said no, until one old man they asked nodded his head.

"Yep, he walked by me about an hour ago. He went in that direction," he pointed down the long street they were driving along, "He seemed pretty down in the dumps 'bout somethin'."

"Thanks," With that, Matthew began to drive in the direction the man pointed. He knew exactly where Arthur had gone.

Arthur was still sitting on the stage, the room illuminated by only the one spotlight he had turned on, for it was the only switch he had access to. The sat underneath that light, knowing he was going to be found sooner or later, but wasn't expecting anyone to come within the next twenty minutes.

That gave him plenty of time to clear his mind. As he sat underneath the spotlight, which he wasn't supposed to look at, Arthur looked out of the large glass windows, to the street where there was only the sound of rain and wind. Not many cars rode through this area, especially not at seven o'clock at night. His stomach growled, but he didn't care. He really didn't feel anything at all, honestly. I mean, what are you supposed to feel after you've been betrayed? The poor man practically had his heart ripped right out of him!

Suddenly, the spotlight started flashing. By accident, Arthur looked up at it to see if it was a technical issue or if a bird had gotten into the studio and flew past it. It kept flashing, almost like a strobe light. One thing that Arthur had to avoid at all costs was anything that flashed like that. He began to shake, arms making sudden, involuntary movements. His head followed in pursuits, and he began to have a seizure.

He no longer had control over his body, and was trying so hard to stay on the stage. Just as he was about to fall, he was caught by weak arms, who rested him on the ground, while another person moved things out of the way, allowing Arthur's head to rest on the man's lap, so that way he wouldn't get hurt. Arthur tried desperately to look up at the man of whom his head was sitting in, but he couldn't control his actions.

"It's okay Artie… help is on the way…" Alfred's voice.

"I need an ambulance; my friend is having a Grand Mal seizure. The address is -." Alfred looked at Matthew with sad eye, holding back tears.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be just fine, Alfred."

Arthur didn't know why or where he was. He woke up feeling dizzy, and his hand hurt a bit. He looked at it, seeing he had a bruise on it, as well as a small cut.

"Arthur?" Arthur turned his head to see a sleepy Alfred sitting next to him. They boy's eyes were red a puffy, most likely crying because he was scared for Arthur. Arthur really was curious as to what happened.

"Alfred, what happened to me?" Alfred looked down, seeming saddened by the question.

"You… you had a Grand Mal seizure… Matthew and I found you just in time. You had fallen off the stage, but Matthew caught you, and I cradled your head to make sure you didn't hurt it a second time…"

"A second time?"

"The doctor explained to me that the cause of seizures is an irritation of the brain of some sort. Usually, you've had a past head injury, but the actual seizure doesn't happen until later… he said that your though wasn't from a past injury. And… he wants to know what happened. He asked me to ask you…" Alfred sounded so shy throughout the entire time he was speaking.

"I have photogenic epilepsy, Alfred. I've had it since I was about ten years old. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He began to remember what had happened that day, or in this case, the previous day. The clock read three o'clock in the morning, so it was February 14 now, no longer February 13. "So… are you and Kiku…"

"No. We aren't. We both have decided we don't like each other like that, and… I'm sorry." Arthur's heart skipped a beat. "I know now the pain I caused you; I betrayed you."

Before Alfred could even blink, he was pulled into a hug. He didn't move at first, being very surprised by the hug. He eventually wrapped his arms around Arthur, accepting the hug. He buried his head into Arthur's shoulder, feeling like he was going to cry, and he did.

"There there love… It's alright…" Arthur and Alfred separated from the hug, and Alfred wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "Happy Valentine's Day, my dear boy."

"Oh! That reminds me," Alfred walked to the other side of the room, and from behind a curtain, pulled out a bouquet of flowers, along with chocolate. "I know it's a really big stereotype but, I felt you deserved some flowers and chocolates, as well as a thank you." Arthur looked at Alfred a bit confused, and Alfred elaborated, "You always do so much for me and my friends, as well as for Antonio and Matthew and Ellen, and I don't think people tell you 'thank you' enough. So, to make up for that, I am telling you now, and I am going to say it a lot more often. But, can I ask for something in return?"

"Sure, love. What is it?"

"Can you say 'I love you, Alfred' a bit more often?' His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, and he slowly began to cry a bit. Arthur patted the spot on the hospital bed next to him.

"Of course, my love. I love you, Alfred." Suddenly, he was pulled into a kiss. It was passionate, warm, and made both of their hearts sync into beat. They parted after a good while, to which Arthur replied, "That was so cliché."

**XXX**

**HOLY MOTHER CRACKING SUGAR COOKIES THIS TOOK ALL MY STRENGTH TO WRITE! *had REALLY BAD writer's block.*  
>Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter, and are looking forward to the next one, which will (hopefully) be out in the next 2 weeks. :3 (new year's resolution)<br>But seriously, PLEASE go and check out my Tumblr page for further information on things.  
>Oh, and also, sorry if I got some information wrong about seizures, I was using Google and medical websites. O.o<br>And don't worry, I will eventually make chapters run into one another, instead of them each having their own individual story *most likely the next 2 chapters*(I have no plot for them yet though. X.x)**

**Alex, OUT! *passes out on laptop from lack of tea***


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Well, I think I am sticking to my resolution quite well, to upload a chapter every 2 weeks. :D  
>Hopefully I actually am uploading this in time, because then I have to work on The Black Marker. :P<br>I really don't have much to say. I hurt my thumb, I'm writing a (not a fan fiction) lovecraftian-styled horror story. Not much has happened. I am currently drawing this story's first comic strip! :D it'll feature a scene from this chapter, so I'll post a link to it on the end of this chapter!  
>Hmm… I'm contemplating whether or not I should put a lemon chapter in here… I think I'll do that for a later chapter. Even though this is the Valentine's Day chapter, I don't think it would be right considering Alfred's age… XD<br>SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG! (By the way my N key is malfunctioning, so if there is a missing N in any words, tell me. XD)  
>XXX<strong>

…_Valentine's Day…_

Arthur awoke that morning at around eleven. As he slowly sat up, rubbing the crust out of his tired eyes, he smelled something from downstairs. The smell of pancakes, syrup, and he swore he smelled tea. He pulled the covers off his legs, found his slippers, and headed downstairs to see what he believed to be the unusual cooking of Ellen.

Still rubbing his eyes, unable to get the crust out, he asked Ellen, "Hey Ellen, could you find the eye drops for me? They are very irritated, which would not be a good start to my morning…" He heard the sound of a spatula being put down, and the sound of a cupboard drawer opening and closing. Suddenly, he heard the happy voice of Alfred.

"Here ya go!"

He quickly put in the eye drops, the first time missing his left eye, and waited for his vision to come into focus. He saw the face of a smiling and dirty Alfred, and behind him, a stove with what seemed to be pancakes on it. "I never knew you knew how to cook. Whoever taught you that?"

"Ellen did! She's really nice! Antonio was nice enough to clean up the mess that I made, while Ellen helped me clean up myself! This time I didn't make such a mess though! Haha!" He ran back over to the stove, and picked up the spatula once more. He flipped over the half solid, half liquid substance on the frying pan, which released the smell of a buttery and delicious breakfast food. Arthur can't remember the last time he had pancakes. All he knew was that it was Matthew that had made them. "So do ya want any Syrup o your pancakes, Artie?"

"I think I can do that part myself, love."

"But Artie, It's Valentine's day!" Alfred took the pancakes off of the pan, and onto a plate, "I need to treat you like my Prince, DUH!" He placed the plate in front of Arthur, and then grabbed the syrup, "Tell me when to stop." He squeezed the bottle out over the pancakes, to which Arthur watched as Alfred seemed to be drawing a picture with the syrup, even though Arthur knew he wasn't.

"Stop. That's enough."

"I think it needs a little more!"

"If pancakes could breathe, these ones would be drowning. It's perfect, love." Arthur patted his head.

"You can't say that yet! You have ta try them first!" Alfred pouted, and Arthur chuckled at the gesture.

"Alright, Alright. Thank you for making these for me, love." He leaned down, and kissed his forehead. He turned back to the pancakes, and pierced them with his for, cutting them with a knife. He took his time in doing so, and regretted taking so long to taste the heavenly breakfast. The pancakes practically melted in his mouth, and they tasted ten times better than Matthew's. "Oh my goodness… Alfred, these are magnificent!"

"Yeah they are! Matthew taught me how to make them, and then I experimented a little bit! Are mine better than his?" Alfred looked very eagerly at Arthur, who couldn't stop shoveling pancakes into his mouth. Once he found a satisfying point to stop, he answered Alfred.

"Most definitely! These are so… I can't even find a word for it, love. You did a great job with them!" As he put another pancake into his mouth, he tried to think why Alfred would be doing all of this for him. After a long pause and a pancake hanging out of his mouth, he swallowed it, and asked Alfred, "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

"I just told you, silly! IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY! DUH!" He hugged Arthur, and Alfred laughed. Arthur smiled, and hugged him back.

He forgot. He had that seizure yesterday, and just came home very early this morning. He forgot all about Valentine's Day! "Oh… Well, if you would allow me to excuse myself, I have something that has to be done very quickly, okay love?" Alfred nodded, took Arthur's plate, and Arthur headed upstairs to his room, getting dressed quickly.

He needed to do something for Alfred. He couldn't be the only one being treated like a prince on Valentine's Day! Alfred loves holidays, so Arthur really didn't want to upset him. He ran down the stairs, buttoning his shirt, and grabbing a jacket.

He threw on his shoes, yelling to Alfred that he would be back soon.

"Where are you going?" but before he got his answer, Arthur was out the door, hopping in the car. Alfred was left standing there, unsure of what to do.

…_At A Random Mall…_

(Arthur's POV)

_This is hopeless… I'll never find anything to give to Alfred. I feel as if though I should DO something for the boy instead of give him something. Giving him something would be more for a birthday, if anything_.

I walked around that incredibly huge mall for over an hour. I had no idea where I was at that point and actually had to ask someone where the exit was. They really should consider putting arrows or signs up leading to the exit, especially when there is only one directory in the entire mall. I couldn't even find that!

Once I had exited, I decided it was high time to head on home, and just search the internet for something Alfred and I could do together. I thought about it the entire ride home, and was at a loss of what I could do. I turned left at the appropriate street, seeing a billboard in the distance. I've seen it many times, but it had something different on it this time.

'Now featuring Muse, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Chameleon Circuit!' It appeared to be a billboard for a concert.

_A concert… That's perfect!_

I drove home very quickly, just narrowly escaping a ticket because the police officer was a female, and she found my accent to be 'cute'. I climbed out of the car, hitting my head on the ceiling, and ran inside. I took my shoes off and was greeted by Alfred, who hugged me and cheered.

"Yay! Your home! I missed you!" He began to hop up and down, "Where did you go?"

"Oh, nowhere in particular. I had to drop off a package at the post office. And I'm sorry about this, love, but could you excuse me for just a few more minutes? I promise you will thank me later for this." I always hated lying to Alfred, but I didn't want to see him upset either. Running upstairs to my room, as well as locking the door, I hopped into the chair in front of my computer and began to search for a place that had tickets available. I managed, after about ten minutes, to buy us tickets. I quick, took out my cell phone, and called Matthew. "Hello, Matthew. I need you to do me a favor. I just bought concert tickets for Alfred and I, and I need you to pick them up, and bring them to me. I can't let Alfred know until tonight, so could you meet me at the back door? Really? Thank you very much Matthew. I owe you for this. Give them the name Arthur Kirkland."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, "Artie? Hey Artie! Can I go out back and shoot my gun? I wanna practice on the target! Can you come watch? Please?" He extended the middle part as if he was begging, and I couldn't resist that.

(3rd Person POV)

Arthur hung up his cellphone, unlocked the door, and opened it. "Well, let's get going!" The two proceeded down the stairs, and to the hallway closet, to where Alfred stored his gun. There were many closets, all of which were practically filled to the brim. Arthur followed Alfred outside, trying to keep up with the young boy who was practically running out the door. He didn't shoot the gun often, for he needed supervision, and Arthur had been a bit busy with his modeling career and Ellen and Antonio were busy with their jobs.

"Are you ready to watch Artie! Even with the little practice I have been getting, I'm really good at shooting the target! Just watch!" Alfred raised the gun, slowly and surely aiming at the center of the target. With a quick pull of the trigger, a bang was heard, and a hole appeared in the target that was meant for archers. Arthur had a few left over from when he shot, so he let Alfred use them. "DID YOU SEE THAT? That was a nine! That was SO CLOSE to a 10!"

"I saw that Alfred. That was a very good shot! Do you think you could do that in battle?"

"Heck no! That would be too hard for me right now! I eventually might be able to do something like that though!" Alfred laughed a bit, and Arthur smiled. This was an automatic reaction of Arthur now, but he couldn't help it! Alfred was just so damn cute!

Even though he had been staring at Alfred, he didn't realize he had walked over until he felt the barrel of the gun in his hand, and Alfred was clipping the holster around his waist, practically pulling him into a hug. "What are you doing? This is your time to practice."

"I wanna see you shoot, duh! I bet I'm better than you!" Arthur loved challenges, and almost always won them, except against his French rival, Francis. Those two were always tied, no matter what.

"I haven't shot a gun in a long time, but since I just quit archery not too long ago, I bet I still have pretty good aim." He walked over to the point at which he felt comfortable, about thirty meters from the target. This was a typical length for an archer to shoot at if they were using a bow with 30+ pounds. Arthur loaded the gun and all that jazz, slowly aimed it, and hesitantly pulled the trigger. Surprisingly, he shot in the 10x ring (the very center ring of the target).

Alfred was amazed at the accuracy of Arthur's shot, "WOAH! Artie! That was SO COOL!" Alfred came over and hugged him, burying his head into Arthur's neck, "Do you think you could do it again?"

"He probably could, if he didn't have to talk to me first," It was Matthew. He had a small box in his hands, beckoning Arthur over. Arthur, taking the holster off and handing Alfred the gun, walked over to greet Matthew. He looked at the box strangely, and Matthew explained, "This is so that way Alfred would have no idea that there are concert tickets in here. Pretty smart, eh?"

"I really appreciate this, Matthew. How about you stay for tea? Alfred's just practicing shooting."

He shook his head, "I really can't. I have to get home to fill out some paperwork for a new model that we have coming in. What's his name? Gilbert? Yeah, that's it! He's pretty good looking, but could never replace you, my dear friend." Arthur thanked him, and he continued, "Now go have fun with Alfred, I have to work. See you later, eh?" With that, he ran off to his car, and drove away.

A set of arms snaked their way around Arthur's waist, and he felt Alfred's warm little body up against his coat. It was a particularly warm February day out, so their coats were light, Arthur's being very form-fitting. "U-um… Alfred, darling, what are y-you doing?" Arthur was blushing like a tomato, and could feel the electricity running down his spine.

"He said to have fun right?" Alfred, being stronger than Arthur and only at the age of thirteen, spun him around and grabbed the tie he was wearing, pulling him down closer to his face, "Then let's have some fun." Arthur was pulled into a warm kiss, and he almost dropped the box he was holding. He pulled away, not wanting to do this outside, or with a box in his hands.

"Let's go inside for this. I need to put this box down anyway." Alfred pouted a bit, but followed him. He knew Arthur never went back on his word. As soon as Arthur put down the box, he was dragged up the stairs, and into Alfred's room. Alfred closed the door behind Arthur, after putting a sock on the doorknob. He had received a "do not disturb" card for this, but he preferred the sock and just hung the sign on his wall.

Alfred quickly walked over to Arthur, with fire in his eyes, and said, "Let's make this a Valentine's Day to remember," and with that, he kissed Arthur, who was sitting on Alfred's bed. He forced Arthur down, due to the fact that he was climbing on top of him. Arthur was not much bigger than Alfred, so Alfred wasn't awkwardly straddling him. They both moved more towards the center of the bed, eventually straightening themselves out a bit.

The kiss became more intense, their tongues dancing quicker, breathes becoming more chopped up, and Alfred had already begun to take Arthur's shirt off. He slowly unbuttoned it, all while Arthur ran his hands up and down the young boy's sides, making him shiver. He deepened the kiss, as Arthur slid his shirt off, tossing it to the floor. Arthur ran his hands through Alfred's hair and Alfred caressed his neck, making him sigh into the kiss.

Arthur had to stop kissing Alfred unfortunately to take his shirt off, because it had no buttons on it; Just a typical t-shirt. Once that was out of the way, the two had both of their bare chests exposed, and Alfred quickly began to kiss it. He trailed from the nape of his neck to his left nipple, teasing Arthur a bit by playing with it with his tongue. It grew hard, but that wasn't the only thing that began to get harder.

"Already, Artie?" Alfred loved to tease him like this, but Arthur always ended up getting his revenge. He attempted to flip them over, but Alfred wouldn't allow it. Arthur quickly grabbed the area of Alfred's jeans where his mini-Alfred was located, making him weak long enough to flip them over. Because of this, Alfred was aroused as well.

"Already, Alfred?" Arthur said in a mocking tone.

…_About an hour later…_

"Hey Alfred? Do you like the bands Muse, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Chameleon Circuit?" Arthur and Alfred were lying side by side on Alfred's bed, just cuddling. Alfred's head was resting on top of Arthur's arm, and when he looked up, the sun was shining through the window, illuminating Arthur's perfect complexion.

"Yeah! Especially Chameleon Circuit! They ROCK!" Alfred immediately regained his energy, sitting up and pretending to play a guitar. "Exterminate, Regenerate!" He began to sing the chorus of the song, Exterminate, Regenerate, as he strummed away. Arthur sat up, watching him with a smile on his face.

"Well, for Valentine's Day, I brought us tickets to go and see a concert. Would you like that?" Alfred's jaw practically hit the floor.

"No…WAY! ARTIE YOU'RE THE BEST! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SCORED TICKETS TO THEIR CONCERT! Dude! You are the BEST!" Alfred tackled hugged Arthur, and Arthur scowled.

"Hey! Could we put some clothes on before you attack me?"

Alfred frowned, "Sorry…" Alfred then sat up, and Arthur did the same. To apologize, Alfred kissed Arthur's check, to which the older of the two began to blush as red as a rose, "I'll go get you clothes, _love_." He smiled, and got off the bed, fetching the variously scattered clothes. Arthur was just blushing and staring out of the window, looking to the sky.

_Mom? Is this wrong? For me to love someone so young, so much? I don't think it is… You always told me age doesn't matter… Dad was six years older than you, and you two loved each other… So this is okay, right?_

"Hey, Arthur! Where did your other sock go?" Arthur looked around, and didn't see it. He thought he took it off, but then he looked down at his feet and saw that he was still wearing it.

He looked over at Alfred, who had already put his pants and socks on. He had the most innocent and happy look on his face, and it made Arthur tear up a bit. _I'm such an old man…_ Alfred gave him his clothes, and Arthur put his clothes on. Alfred was putting his shirt back on, Arthur being almost completely dressed, and he turned around to see Arthur crying a little bit.

"Hey…Artie…" Alfred worried, walked over, "Hey Artie, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Alfred sat down next to Arthur, putting his hand on his shoulder, "Whatever it is-" He was cut off with the sudden embrace of the hug Arthur was giving him.

Alfred felt the warmth and love emanating from the crying figure that held him ever so tightly. He didn't react for a second, but quickly returned the hug, rocking back and forth. He didn't know why, or what happened, but he was glad that he could be there for Arthur. Suddenly, Arthur spoke. It was a mumble, but Alfred could just barely make out what he said, "Thank you, Alfred. I love you… so much."

Arthur pulled away from the hug, wiping his nose. He sniffled, and the snickered. Alfred was thoroughly confused by his behavior. "Is a side effect of epilepsy bi-polar disorder?" Arthur looked up, and smiled again.

"No, love, it's not. I'm laughing because I'm acting like a child, to a child."

"Yeah, but the child is willing to take care of you if he has to. He loves you." They looked at each other, smiling, "I may not be your parents, and technically you aren't mine, so we can always take care of each other. We're a couple, and that's what couples do!" Alfred smiled; this one was a bit different though. It was comforting, yet it showed a hint of sadness and sympathy in his eyes. Arthur and Alfred hugged once more, and then kissed for a bit, before lying down on Alfred's bed, and falling asleep before the concert.

**XXX**

**Okay! I am TRYING to update every 2 weeks! I really wish I could update as often as Skythewolfdog9, but it's practically IMPOSSIBLE for me to write that much. Well, more like IMPROBABLE but you get the point. **  
><strong>Anyway, I'm sorry for the short chapters! I have mid-terms coming up, so I need to study, as well as the fact that I have a SUPER IMPORTANT exam on Saturday. It's an exam to get into a new high school, and I really want to go there. The junior high school I am currently in is just a regular school (even though it provides a great education), but the one that I WANT to get into is more concentrated in the fields of science and math. It provides both an extra math AND science course during the day, and they are very hands-on with things. I've always LOVED math and Science is good too, so getting into this school is very important to me. If you could wish my luck, I would REALLY appreciate that. <strong>

**Plus, After something REALLY BIG AND WORRYING, I tend to get an urge to work very hard. (cough) WILL WRITE IF I GET MOTIVATION (cough) ;)  
>OHHH! I do have basically the LEMON part of this typed, And I will upload it in a COMPLETELY NEW STORY! I am going to have a "Story" which is basically just a collection of things that I didn't want to put in my other stories. Like Lemon chapters. They are optional. XD<strong>

**Well, I need to sleep! If you see any mistakes, please point them out!**

**All three of the above bands are real. Chameleon Circuit and I THINK Muse are both British bands, and 30 Seconds to Mars is just awesome. I'll be writing the next chapter of this AFTER the Black Marker's next chapter! :D**

**ALEX OUT! (Passes out on bed)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**I lied. Again. No lemon. *insert evil laugh here* I had typed it, but then I never saved the file.  
>If I feel like writing it again, I shall. :)<br>Anyway, sorry for the wait! Umm… I really have nothing to say.  
>I went bowling today and felt motivated to write a chapter? XD I finally got to use my new bowling ball as well as shoes. My mother thinks I am insane for using a 12 pound bowling ball; she uses an 8 pound ball. I guess it's easier for me to use the 12 pound one because of Archery and my previous sports I have played? *Shrugs* I have a sore throat. Joy. Okay Enough about me. XD<br>ONTO THE CONCERT! *Waves tickets***

**XXX**

_...Before the concert…_

"So when do we get to meet 'em? Huh?" Alfred was being his usual, hyper self; excited about being able to obtain a back-stage pass to meet the bands. Arthur really felt bad about practically forgetting Valentine's Day, so he was ALSO able to get some last-minute back stage passes. It was a very big hassle for Matthew, but he pulled a few strings considering Arthur was becoming a huge hit as a model in America.

Surprisingly, a few girls and one guy recognized him when they saw him at the ticket window. The girls were thoroughly excited, and one asked for a picture with him. Alfred and the guy just stood and watched as Arthur was being attacked by a few fan girls.

Both Alfred and the man didn't understand what the big deal was; Arthur was a model for a company that manufactured may different styles of suits, all of which looked great on Arthur. That's why he has had the job for three years now; everything looked fantastic on him. The girls though, probably recognized him from one of his one-shot photo shoots, like his soccer one or the one where he had to dress up as a cowboy, advertising for a local steakhouse.

"After the concert is over, love. They are busy warming up backstage right now, and they don't have to clean up afterwards. It is the best opportunity. Plus, there will only be a few people meeting them besides us. There were only ten passes, and we have two of them," Arthur watched Alfred's shoulders slump a bit, but he nodded his head. Arthur and Alfred walked down the stairs to their designated seats, Arthur feeling Alfred was a bit too young and fragile to be down in the mosh pit. Arthur did manage though, to get some amazing seats. He didn't know how on Earth he managed to pull this off. He looked over at Alfred, who had a bit of a confused look on his face, "First, Chameleon Circuit will open up the show with their song 'Exterminate, Regenerate', followed by 'An Awful Lot of Running', "Teenage Rebel", "Big Bang Two", and finally closing with "Blink", which… unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave during. I asked the man out front if there would be strobe lights, and he said only once, and that would be during that song." He looked at Alfred, seeing as how he had turned his head whilst talking, and saw that Alfred's eyes looked surprised.

"Are you a mind-reader now? I didn't even ask you that! I was only thinking that!"

"Your expressions are very easy to read," He paused for a moment, and then continued, "Are you okay with the fact that I have to leave during 'Blink'?"

"Why wouldn't I be? It's not your fault that you have epilepsy! And you aren't going to be the only one leaving during that song. I'm going to leave with you, and when it's over, we'll go back in together!" Alfred smiled, and Arthur shook his head, smiling a bit.

"You really don't have to do that Alfred. You should enjoy the concert, and not have to miss a single bit of it."

"Well neither should you! You paid for all of this! I'm staying with you, and you aren't changing my mind!" Alfred took Arthur's hand in his, and gripped it tightly. Before Arthur could react, Alfred had pulled out two rubber bands that were tied together with a Devil's tongue knot, and placed one on both of their wrists, like handcuffs, "I would've used handcuffs, but those look weirdly suspicious. These don't look weird at all!"

"They do look a bit weird, but you do realize I can take this off at any time, right?"

"Not if I tell you I'll run all the way back home if you do." Arthur could feel the mischievousness emanating off of him. He sighed, and slid down in his chair, feeling defeated.

"Oh, alright." Suddenly, they saw the curtains on the stage move, and heard a guitar begin to play the opening of 'Exterminate, Regenerate'.

The crowd cheered, but quieted down just in time to hear the lead vocalist begin to sing. Alfred listened eagerly, and before Arthur knew it, he began to sing along like the rest of the crowd and dance in his seat. Arthur let loose a bit as well, and danced too. His right hand had to follow Alfred's right because of the rubber bands.

Arthur was completely correct in their song order. Alfred and Arthur could understand the references to Doctor Who in their songs, because they always watched the new episodes together. It was one of the many things they thoroughly enjoyed doing together, which just made this concert that much more fun. Alfred and Arthur especially had fun when they played the song 'An Awful Lot of Running' and they said at the exact same rate and tone as each other.

In unison, they both said, "And you know you can fix that Chameleon Circuit if you just try hotwiring the fragment links and superseding the binary," And then echoing the word 'binary'. They immediately cracked up in laughter afterwards, getting a few stares from people. But Arthur really didn't care. He was happy, Alfred was happy, and things couldn't be any more perfect.

They played their other songs, and then when 'Blink" came on, they both got up and left, heading out through the doors to the snack area. They could hear the music through the doors, but couldn't see the lights. They danced like there was no tomorrow, laughing, and just enjoying themselves. Arthur felt just like a kid again. For just this night, Alfred and he were on the same level. It felt nice to finally have someone who was having as much fun as you, and who could understand you completely, all while still loving you for who you are.

Once the song was over, both of them waited a moment, and then headed back inside. They wanted to make sure the lights were going to be completely off, because they really didn't want to have another problem. They proceeded to their seats, and waited for the next band to come on. Arthur forgot who was one next, but Alfred didn't mind; it just made it that much more of a surprise.

A guitar, once again, started up, but was followed by a creepier sound. Alfred's face lit up, "I LOVE THIS SONG!" The song that was being played was 'Uprising' which is by Muse. Alfred sung along to the song, and he was quite loud as he did so, even in a place this big! If Arthur really concentrated on Alfred's voice and his voice only, he could hear the beautiful noise that came out of his mouth. Arthur never really heard Alfred sing like this, and was quite pleased with how much fun he was having, pretending to be a rock star.

Once the song was over, Arthur leaned over to Alfred, "I see your having a boatload of fun, huh love?"

Alfred laughed, and blushed a bit, "Definitely! This is completely AWESOME!" Alfred was ALMOST cut off by the next song that came on, which was 'Supermassive Black Hole'**.** Honestly, Arthur thought that it messed up the flow of the song that was following, which was 'Time Is Running Out'. Alfred and Arthur both knew the lyrics to this song, and considering they were in their own little section of the concert hall, they decided to let loose and dance again.

They both began to sing separate parts of it, as if they were talking to each other.

Alfred started off, "I think I'm drowning, Asphyxiated, I wanna break this spell that you've created. You're something beautiful, a contradiction. I wanna play the game, I want the friction."

Very quickly, Arthur sung the next part, which seemed to fit perfectly, "You will be the death of me… You will be the death of me…"

They both sung the chorus, and they did this throughout the whole song, all while dancing very close together. Luckily, no one could see them from their angle.

Muse had a very small part in the concert, only playing about six songs, and then 30 Seconds to Mars was setting up on stage.

"What songs do you think they'll play? Didn't that website you were looking at earlier say what the songs were?"

"You were looking over my shoulder AGAIN?" Arthur smiled, and put Alfred in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles into the top of his head and messing up his hair.

"Ah! Artie! Leggo of me!" Alfred was laughing and squirming, but Arthur didn't loosen his grip one bit. That is, until they heard the crowds below begin the scream.

They looked over the edge from where they were sitting, and saw that the band was ready to begin.

They opened up with their hit song, 'This is War'. Alfred, as usual, wasn't out of energy yet, and danced in his seat once more. Arthur, on the other hand, was really tuckered out, and needed to stay seated for a while. He just let his arm follow Alfred's seeing as how they still had the rubber bands on.

After a few songs, Arthur believed it was six, A crew member ran onto the stage and took the microphone from the singer. The crowd quieted down a bit, and he made his announcement.

"Alright guys, you havin' fun?" The crowd cheered in response, "Alright! Now, we have a special treat, but we need the people with backstage passes to report down here ASAP. You peeps without 'em, just sit tight." The man then ran off the stage. There were mur murs among the crowds, but Alfred and Arthur didn't hesitate to run where they were called.

When they appeared backstage, Alfred was surprised to see Kiku and his mother standing there as well, with some other people Alfred didn't know.

"Yo! Kiku!" Alfred ran up to him with a raised hand, and they did their little handshake they had created, "What's up? I didn't see you here earlier!"

"I've been here the entire time. I have a private place to sit with my mother. The tickets were very expensive, but well worth it."

"Wait…" Alfred looked at Arthur, "We have a private seat too, don't we?" He turned back to Kiku, "Dude! Where are you sitting? I think I might be able to see you from my seat!"

Suddenly, Yao walked up, "Ni-hao!"

"Huh?" Alfred had a confused look on his face, so Kiku explained.

"It means 'Hello'," Kiku bowed to Yao, "Konichiwa. Ogenki desu ka?"

"You know I don't speak your language that well, Kiku!"

"But that was basic Japanese…"

Suddenly, the man from earlier walked up to the group of ten, "I hope you all know how to sing and play a guitar!" Gasps were heard from a few people, while some people were heard saying, 'yes!', one of them being Alfred, "You each are going to select a song that you all know, but it has to be an… older song. It can't be too recent. You ten will split up into two groups, which I see you have already done. Make sure you clear the song with me before you even try going out on stage. Right now we are having an intermission, so you guys have fifteen minutes to decide, clear, and practice. Got it? Okay, good luck! Oh! And by the way! The winning team gets a prize!" With that, he ran off once more, talking to Chameleon Circuit who was cleaning up their stuff, probably telling them they didn't have to do that, and there were people to do that for them.

Alfred turned back to the group, "This… is… AWESOME! Plus, I have the perfect song! And Artie, you know the song already on guitar! Yao and Kiku! You know the lyrics and so do I! Mrs. Honda! Can you play the drums?" She silently nodded her head, "ALRIGHT! Okay, remember that song from a few years ago? 'Get a Clue' by Simon & Milo? That's what I have in mind!"

"That's perfect, Alfred! Great job!" Yao punched his arm gently, and took out his MP3 player. It had 4 headphone slots, somehow, and he also was carrying four pairs of headphones. Everyone but Alfred needed a refresher on what the lyrics to the song were, so they listened while Alfred cleared the song with the man.

"Hey dude! We chose our song! Can we perform 'Get a Clue' by Simon & Milo?"

"Sure, little buddy! Rock on!" Alfred sprinted back, almost running into about four people.

"We're good!"

They prepared, Arthur being able to learn the chords by ear as well as Kiku's mother already being able to play the drums to this song. She referred to this as 'Just a warm up song she would play before her other songs.'

Before the five of them knew it, it was their time to shine, "Remember folks, you really gotta make that crowd scream!" They took their places on stage, Alfred being lead singer, to which the crowd was surprised. Kiku and Yao took the microphones right next to Alfred, but a bit behind him to signal who was the lead. They actually managed to find a guitar with the Union Jack as its main design, because Arthur still had his accent. He never obtained the American accent despite never hearing a British accent but his own, and sometimes Alfred's when they were arguing, which didn't happen often at all.

Kiku was main backup vocals as Alfred called it. Yao and Kiku's mother, who did have a head set on, were going to sing the girl part. Arthur would actually being saying the 'that's the way it goes now' part, because he had the deepest voice. Yao also had a small triangle due to the few parts that had it in it.

Arthur and Kiku opened up the song, Kiku clapping as is in the song. Yao and Kiku's mother were having a lot of fun doing the female part, and Alfred couldn't get enough of the attention. He was walking all around the stage, singing and dancing like the happy teen he is. Kiku and Alfred could surprisingly blend their voices together quite nicely for that echoing effect.

The crowd was really getting into the song, clapping the parts that Kiku had been doing, and they were even singing along. They were jumping and having a lot more fun than Alfred had observed earlier. They really seemed to be enjoying the performance.

Kiku's mother got a really big part when in the song, a girl screams 'Rock the mic!' And that is really when the crowd went wind. Her low, soft voice went really high and rebellious! Kiku looked back and made sure it was the same person he had left there, but then saw that she was having a lot of fun, so he turned back to his mic and continued singing with Alfred.

By this point, they had the crowd hooked. They finished the song, and then were deafened by the scream of the crowd, some of which were trying to get on the stage. One girl even threw her bra at them!

They were taken off stage. Well, mainly Alfred who couldn't get enough of the attention. The other group went out, and they performed the song 'Haven't Met You Yet'. The crowd didn't react as well to that song, because this concert was more rock themed than anything, and that pop song really didn't fit in well. They had a great performance, but Alfred group clearly had won this war.

After they were done, they came back and the guy from before, once again, ran onto the stage and took the mic, "Sweet! You guys enjoyed that, right?" The crowd cheered, "Cool! So now, we are going to take a loudness vote. When I say what group, if that was the performance you like more out of the two, scream as loud as you can. Alright?" He paused, and pulled out a card, "First, we had Alfred, Arthur, Kiku, Yao and... Mrs. Honda? Performing 'Get a Clue' by Simon & Milo!" The crowd erupted with screams. It actually shook a glass of water that was on the ground that was meant for one of them people in one of the bands, "Whoa! It's gonna be hard to beat that! Next, we have Elizabeth's group performing 'Haven't Met You Yet'!"

…_In the car, driving home…_

"I knew we were going to win. It was inevitable!"

"Seriously, what books are you reading? You have never said _that_ before."

Alfred smiled, "Hey! I go to school now! I should be learning SOMETHING!" He held up the microphone he so rightfully earned. It was a good brand too; one of the really expensive ones. It was a white microphone, but as soon as they won, it had Alfred's name carved into the side of it in black, and on the opposite side (well, not really a side considering it was a ROUND microphone…) it had the name of the song that helped him win his microphone, as well as the amps and guitar in the back; the very one that Arthur had used, "That was one of the BEST nights of my life!" Alfred sunk down in his seat, feeling completely blissful.

Alfred looked at the microphone again. It was cordless, and Alfred had it signed by the members of the bands that were there. Arthur's guitar was only signed on back and not the front as though not to ruin the beautiful Union Jack on the front. They both were very satisfied with how the night went.

"Alfred, I just have one question."

"Yeah, Artie?"

"Can we take these rubber bands off now?"

**XXX**

**I know this isn't much to how much other people type, but !**

**Songs:**

**Chameleon Circuit-  
>-Exterminate, Regenerate<br>-An Awful Lot of Running  
>-Teenage Rebel<br>-Big Bang Two  
>-Blink<strong>

**Muse-  
>-Uprising<br>-Supermassive Black Hole  
>-Time Is Running Out<strong>

**30 Second to Mars-  
>-This Is War<br>-Kings and Queens  
>-The Kill<br>-Beautiful Lie  
>-From Yesterday<br>-Closer To the Edge**

**Translations:  
>Ni-hao: Hello (I think…)<br>Konichiwa: Hello  
>Ogenki desu ka?: How are you?<strong>

**Well… I really don't want to type anymore. I told myself I wasn't allowed to read any more fan fiction until I finished this chapter, and NOW I CAN READ! WOO!  
>Anyway, the usual! Review, point out mistakes, and if you have any questions, ASK!<br>I really want this sore throat to go away… I just started gym class, and it makes it harder to breathe. I'm so used to it though because I get Streptococcal Pharyngitis a lot… oh I'm sorry! That means "Strep Throat" *did a project on it in 7****th**** grade*Try saying that; Streptococcal Pharyngitis. It's pretty fun to say. XD**

**I need a new goodbye… "Alex, OUT *mock salute*" Is getting old….  
>How about this….<strong>

**Fuzzy-socks-Alex, OUT! *Slides across floor*  
>(I need fuzzy socks in order to write fan fiction. Don't ask, but it just makes me want to write…)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**So many projects to do, and yet so little time. *that's a big lie*  
>I do have 3 projects, but I have until the 21<strong>**st**** to get them all done. I am almost done the one, the other I have barely started, and we just got the 3****rd**** one today. -_-  
>So I will probably be uploading a very short chapter. I have no idea how long this is going to be. Probably about 2,500 words? Oi… Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. . BLAME MY TEACHERS!<br>Anyway, I am having a lot of fun drawing Wales for my humongous science project, I don't enjoy my English project, but I much less enjoy my Civics project. But I have to do my English first because I am almost done it, then my science, and then my Civics. I'll probably have to do my civics and Science together at one point or another… OH MY GOSH ONTO THE CHAPTER!**

**XXX**

The last week of school was something that Alfred was looking forward to and was so excited when it finally came. Yeah, Alfred liked school, but not as much as he loved goofing off! Alfred would finally be able to spend all day with his friends, and he wouldn't have any homework to do!

Alfred smiled to himself at this thought as he exited the school bus. He strolled merrily towards the double doors, and burst through them with excitement. The cold weather (in the summer, mind you) wasn't going to put a damper on his good mood!

But hitting someone in the face with a door might just do the trick.

The tall man fell to the floor with a loud thud, "Ouch! Could you watch where you are going? I think you broke my nose…Da… it's broken," The man had a heavy Russian accent, "Could you help me up?" he winced as he spoke, some blood running out of his nose and down his pale skin.

"O-Of course! Dude, I'm really sorry! C'mon, let's get to the nurse!" Alfred helped the man up, who was actually a lot younger than Alfred thought. On the ground, he looked like a man in his early twenties. When he was standing up though, he really seemed to be only about a year older than Alfred, "So, um… What's your name?"

"Braginski. Ivan Braginski. I'm in the ninth grade, which is probably why you don't see me too often.

Alfred froze where he was. Sure he was right about Ivan being a year older, but Ivan was the school bully. He never hurt anyone, but everyone feared him. He was just so… intimidating; he was tall, strong, and he had a really creepy sister who seemed to be even scarier than him! Alfred wouldn't have been so scared had he not asked for a name.

"Oh… man, I'm really sorry dude. I mean, can I do ANYTHING for you to make up for this?"

It was Ivan's turn to stop. He looked over his shoulder, still attempting to stop the bleeding with a scarf he was wearing, "You can stop shaking like a little puppy. It's really annoying," Alfred stiffened up, and stopped shaking, "Ah, that's better. Were you scared that I was going to get angry? Because I'm not. It's nothing that a trip to the hospital can't fix," Alfred shook his head, "Oh, was it the blood then?" Ivan spoke really slowly, seeing as how Alfred always took a minute to respond because of his accent. He shook his head again, "Hm, then what could it be you're scared of? I mean, I should be the one trembling. Not with fear though, but with pain. Even talking hurts my nose, but I don't mind at all." Alfred gave him a confused look. They finally were walking together towards the nurse's office, which was ALL THE WAY on the other side of the building.

"Why are you talking if it hurts then? You shouldn't do something that make that hurt. I mean, it REALLY looks like it hurts."

"I'm talking because you are the only one that I have talked to in a long time. Everyone avoids me. I don't know why though."

Alfred slumped his shoulders and sighed. How could he explain that Ivan was very intimidating to everyone? He didn't want to offend him. _But if he has never hurt anyone, then what are the chances of him hurting me?_

"Well, some people find you to be quite… scary. I'm actually a bit scared right now," He opened the door for Ivan to the nurse's office, "You're really big and strong, but I guess those aren't good reasons to be scared of you, huh?" Alfred uttered an unsure laugh, and Ivan turned to look at him.

"Thank you for your help. This doesn't excuse you from punishment for what you did to my nose though; getting my revenge would only be fair," Alfred's grip on the door diminished, and Ivan was no longer able to be seen.

Alfred's hand was shaking. His excitement led him into a world where he had to worry about Ivan getting his revenge on him. How would he get it though? Through pain? Through torture? Humiliation? Alfred was panicking, and he didn't realize that he had run all the way to his locker, which was right across from Kiku's. It was early though, and there was barely anyone in the halls. They had a very odd school system. They gave you half of an hour before your first class to just roam the halls and go to classrooms. Everyone typically went into the classrooms so they could sit down, but most kids populated the cafeteria.

Alfred leaned his back against the locker, and then slid down to the ground, dropping his things. Alfred felt mean saying this, but he was lucky Ivan was going to the hospital. He wouldn't have to see him because his locker was only three lockers away from Alfred's. Kiku, always being the early bird and putting things into his locker, turned around and noticed Alfred's distress.

"Good morning Alfred-san. What's the matter?"

Alfred's mouth felt numb. He didn't want to speak, but Kiku was the only one whom he could talk to. There was Yao, but they weren't that close, both emotionally as well as physically; Yao's locker wasn't in the same hallway as Kiku's and Alfred's, "Ivan wants to get revenge on me."

"Ivan?"

"The school bully. I accidentally broke his nose with the school door when I came in this morning. Now he wants to get back at me, despite the fact that I was probably the first human being that wasn't related to him to talk to him AND take him to the nurse," Alfred pulled his legs in closer to him, "I just don't know what to do, Kiku. Got any of that great advice you always give me?"

He sighed, "I'm afraid not, Alfred. My best advice would be to stay on your guard, and maybe tell an adult about this, just to be safe. We only have a week of school left, so there isn't much that he can do to you in a week."

Alfred nodded his head towards Kiku, but then reverted his attention back to the ground, so that way he could think without being distracted for a bit. Kiku could tell Alfred was thinking, and he went back over to his locker, continuing his previous task.

(TheCrumpetThief432836)

The day was pretty calm and normal for Alfred, seeing as how Ivan wasn't there to cause any trouble for Alfred, if he really was going to cause him trouble. The only thing that was a bit different about Alfred's day, besides his paranoia, was the fact that he showed his class his microphone he had won at the concert a few months back. He wasn't able to show it to them before because you aren't allowed to use electronics in school. Alfred tried to say that he wasn't using the microphone and simply showing it to his friends, but they still told him to put it back in his locker before anyone could see it. But now, because he has a robotics project where he had to explain how a small machine works, he brought in his microphone. He accidentally bumped into Ivan afterwards, who was most likely being taken to a hospital by his mother.

Alfred went home, and he threw his book bag on his bed, and then sat in his swivel chair in his room, turning on his computer. He was planning on playing a bit of an MMORPG to clear his mind before he did his homework, which Arthur always told him not to do.

" 'Homework clears your mind' my ass… it just causes more trouble." Alfred always mumbled to himself in his room, because no one could hear him unless they had their-

*Knock knock* "May I come in?"

-ear pressed up against the door, "Yeah, sure." Alfred was luckily still on the login screen, and didn't have to lead his knight to a spot where he wouldn't get killed, "What's up?"

"Well, I couldn't help overhearing that you were trying to get your mind off something, and I am frightfully bored."

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows, "Aren't you supposed to be more of a concerned, fatherly figure to me, and not some bored 'roommate'?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "I was kidding, love. But really, is there something you want to talk about? Did something happen at school?"

"Man, you are such a MOTHER!" Alfred spun his chair around so he was facing his computer, and he began to type in his username and password. He didn't even notice when Arthur had walked over to his book bag and began to rummage through it, searching for something that might be causing Alfred distress.

"Alfred, where is your microphone?" today was full of surprises.

"What do you mean? It should be in the front compartment, next to the water bottle." Even though Alfred's room was a mess, his book bag was very organized and it made it very easy to find things.

"Well, it's not. Did you leave it in school?"

"No, I put it in my book bag when I went to my locker."

"Well what did you do BEFORE that?"

"I showed it in class, bumped into Ivan, and…" Alfred's eyes widened, "THAT MOTHER F-"

"Alfred! Language!" Alfred rolled his eyes.

"AS I WAS SAYING! I know who took my microphone! It was Ivan! This morning I opened the door a bit too excitedly and most likely broke his nose. He seemed pretty cool about it at first, but then when we finally reached the nurse's office, he said he wanted revenge. He's probably selling it on EBay as we SPEAK!" He turned back to his computer, and opened up Google Chrome. He began to type in the web address, but his hands were stopped by Arthur's, "Leggo! I have to buy it back!" Alfred was getting very frustrated, and he was almost in tears. That microphone meant A LOT to him.

"Alfred, you need to calm down and think about this rationally."

"BUT I CAN'T-" He was cut off by Arthur, who placed his soft, warm lips on Alfred's. The two kissed for a few moments, Alfred standing up so Arthur could become more comfortable, and then they separated. Arthur's arms were around Alfred's neck, which he knew calmed him down.

"Feeling a bit better now?" Alfred nodded his head, "Alright, now let's think about this rationally."

(TheCrumpetThief432836)

Alfred got off the couch as he heard the doorbell ring. It was the servants' day off, so he had to get the door. Alfred knew that Arthur wasn't expecting anyone over, and neither was he. He strolled over to the door, not really having his mind on his microphone anymore, and answered with a small smile.

"Yes, can I help….Ivan?" Alfred was a bit shocked, scared, and angry, "What are y-you doing here?"

"May I come in? It is still a bit cold out here, even though it's summer."

"Umm… sure?" Alfred stepped aside to let him in, observing Ivan's face. His nose had a really big bandage on it, to help with his nose's healing process, as Alfred put it. Alfred led him to the living room that had the game console that Alfred HAD been playing on, "So… What do you need? If it's an apology about bumping into you in the hallway earlier, I'm sorry. It was an accident and I-I-I didn't mean to hit you in the nose with that door. I promise nothing like that will ever-" Alfred was being cut off a lot.

"Alfred," Ivan pulled out a brown paper bag, and then handed it to Alfred, "I just wanted to return this to you. You dropped it when you bumped into me today." Alfred opened the bag, and he saw his beautiful microphone sitting there. It seemed to be a bit shinier than it was before.

"Did you clean it? It looks like you did…"

"There was a bit of dirt on it, and I thought you might get angry at me if that dirt was still there."

Alfred was taken aback, "Me? Be mad at you? I thought you took my microphone as 'revenge' as you said you would get earlier."

Ivan chuckled a bit, "Actually, I don't want to get revenge on you. My sister is the type of person to get revenge, and she was in the nurse's office at the time, so I had to say that to appease her." It took Alfred a minute to process what Ivan just said, but when he understood it, he suddenly felt a bit guilty for assuming that Ivan took the microphone.

"So Alfred, what have we learned here today?" Alfred jumped, seeing as how Arthur was not there before.

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? You were NOT there five second ago."

"Actually, I was. I've been here for the entire conversation, you just never noticed me, you twit," he turned to Ivan and nodded his head in respect, "I'm sorry for any trouble Alfred has caused you. Would you like me to reimburse you for the hospital bill?"

Ivan looked up for a moment in thought, and then shrugged his shoulders, "Would you like me to call my mother and ask her? She is the one who has to pay it off. I don't have a lot of money." It took Alfred a second to get a really guilty look on his face.

"Ivan, there is no need to call your mother. Can you guys excuse me for a second?" Alfred sprinted up the stairs, only to be yelled at by Arthur for running on the stairs. He came back down a few moments later with a small, brown box, "How much is the bill?" Ivan told Alfred the amount, to which Alfred winced a bit, "Alright… wait a minute… okay. Here you are. You can keep the change. Think of it as a reward for finding my microphone. And… well… as part of my apology."

Arthur smiled, "I'll leave you two alone then. Oh, and Alfred, it's your turn to cook dinner this evening."

"Alright Artie," he waved him off, "Listen dude, I'm really sorry about all of this. I wasn't expecting to break your nose when I opened the door, or have you bring me my microphone because I was irresponsible, or even have to empty my piggy bank to cover the hospital bill because I felt guilty. I really feel bad about all of this, man. Ya think you could forgive me for being a jerk?"

"You're not a jerk, Alfred. We are both in the wrong, you a bit more so, but I should have told you that I wasn't going to try and get revenge." Ivan smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Awesome. So… Friends?" Ivan's face lit up like a light bulb at the word 'friends'.

"Y-You want to be friends… with me?"

"Yeah dude! Totally! You're a pretty cool guy! I wish people wouldn't judge you so quickly. They are missing out on an AWESOME person." Alfred moved his position to on the couch, and he slung an arm over Ivan's shoulder, "It's a shame though, that we met each other at the END of the school year.

"We can still hang out over the summer though. I am going back to Russia on a vacation, and listening to your British accent, I assume you're going back to the United Kingdom?" Alfred covered his mouth with his hands.

"Am I really talking with an accent?"

"You have been the entire time I've known you."

"Oh… Well allow me to tell you the story of that. I think you'll find it interesting."

"Allow me to join you. I doubt Alfred will be able to tell my point of view through this." Arthur brought in a tray of tea and cookies (not made by him), and he sat down next to the two of them, Alfred in the middle.

(TheCrumpetThief432836)

Alfred was watching television as he sat on his bed, attempting to make himself tired. He held his precious microphone in his hands, as if letting go of that microphone meant letting go of his newfound friendship. He admired the shine of it, and how it gleamed in the moonlight that shined through his window. It illuminated his hair, which was a jumble of different colors, illuminating every color's beauty. He suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Alfred? May I come in?" Arthur came in as Alfred uttered a noise in response, "Alfred, I wanted to thank you for your maturity today with this whole situation. And, as a little prize for your maturity, I am paying you back for covering Ivan's hospital bill. That was a very bold move, and I believe you deserve a bit of a reward." Alfred perked up immediately, and smiled at Arthur. He hugged him, and pointed to the box that was on top of Alfred's dresser that contained some change Alfred had. Arthur deposited the money, and returned back to Alfred's bed.

"Thanks, Artie. I knew he couldn't be all that bad, but I let a stupid rumor get the best of me."

"Yes you did, but I am proud of you for putting that rumor aside and helping him out." They hugged once more, before Alfred slid completely under the convers, and Arthur turned the television off.

"I love you, Arthur." The words came out so suddenly and unexpectedly. They were bold, yet sincere, and Arthur's cheeks turned a faint shade of red.

"I love you too, Alfred," he kissed Alfred's lips gently, and then walked over to the door, "Goodnight, love. I'll see you in the morning," Arthur was about to turn the lights off, when he realized he forgot to ask Alfred a question, "Oh yes, Alfred? What novel are you going to be reading over the summer for your project?"

"WHAT?"

**XXX**

**OH! I PROOVED MYSELF WRONG! 3,000 WORDS! (not including the notes)  
>And I am even more surprised, because I typed this all in one day. Usually I take a few days because I can't continuously type and type and type and type, but I DID IT!<br>I felt like it was Russia's time to shine, and I changed up his personality a bit. I did make it a bit dark, but then I was like, you know what? Maybe he is just doing it for Belarus!" and this happened.  
>I bet if I typed this much for my civics project, it would be DONE by now. .<br>Anyway, I am sorry for how bad this chapter is, but I won't be posting for A WHILE and I felt like this needed a chapter. I don't think it's TOO bad, but it's definitely not my best chapter. :P**

**MMORPG= Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (Ex: Grand Fantasia, Dragon Nest, World of Warcraft, etc.)**

***sips her mint hot chocolate* It's a good substitute for tea! ALEX, OUT! *raises mug***


	10. Chapter 10: Back in the UK

**Chapter 10**

**!  
>Sorry… It's morning and I'm just a bit hyper. I had a very uneventful weekend; mostly playing video games and watching GamesR4FITE 's "Let's Play" videos of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I was going to play it this weekend, but apparently my computer doesn't have a good enough graphics card to support the game, and even at the lowest settings and resolution. :P Oh well.<br>Anyway, enough of my bellyaching. By the time I upload this it should be the 14****th****, and that is my one month anniversary with my girlfriend. :D  
>ONE LAST THING! I GOT INTO THE OTHER HIGHSCHOOL! MATES! :D I'm very happy about that.<br>STORY TIME! *sits cross-legged***

**XXX**

_Alfred slowly opened the door to his old house, stepping inside, and feeling a sense of déjà vu._

"_Hello? Artie, you here? It's me, Alfred." There was a click of a door being closed shut, and then the quiet tap of feet walking towards Alfred. It was around ten o'clock at night, so Arthur was obviously wearing his nightclothes._

"_Work ran late tonight, huh?" Arthur rubbed his eye and yawned._

_Alfred smiled, "You bet! I had a ton of paperwork to fill out, seeing as how we had to apprehend the criminal by force. The guy just didn't know when to give up!" Alfred began to ramble on, but stopped when he saw that Arthur was zoning out, being very tired._

_The two of them hugged, for the door was still open and it was very cold that October night. Then, Arthur spoke up, "I'm just glad you're safe, love. Are there any injuries I should be aware of?"_

"_Not on me. How 'bout you?"_

"_Why on Earth would I have any injuries?"_

_Alfred turned to him as he closed the door and hung up his jacket, "I never know with you!"_

_Arthur turned and began walking up the stairs to their bedroom, "I remember when I said that to you... I was really scared."_

"_Oh yeah! I remember that. Man, that was some scary stuff!"_

_They both entered the bedroom, and Alfred shut the door behind them. Yeah, they had their own rooms, but they typically slept in the same room. It was just… nicer. They both felt warmer and safer, and Alfred thought it was romantic._

_Alfred sat down on the bed, and began to remove his shoes, "So what were you doing while you were waiting for me?"_

"_I was actually think about what we did for Valentine's Day when you were… oh how old were you? Thirteen? Then I was thinking about when you and Ivan became friends. I was going to recount your fourteenth birthday, but now I am thinking about THAT memory."_

"_Well, it seems that neither of us are tired anymore, so why don't we just talk about some of those memories for a bit?"_

"_Why that would be lovely." Arthur crawled over to the side of the bed that sat next to the wall, and crawled under the covers. He leaned against the headboard; pillow nestled comfortably behind his back. Once Alfred was in his nightclothes, they began to talk about THAT memory._

(TheCrumpetThief432836)

Cautiously opening the door, Alfred held it open with his foot, dragging his luggage inside. He held the door open for everyone in fact, because it had become a habit for him after the incident with Ivan. Arthur was the first to enter, followed by Kiku and lastly, his mother. They also had luggage in tow.

"This is gonna be AWESOME! I can't believe we are back in England!" Alfred let go of the door, walking to the front desk of the hotel they were staying at. He looked around, observing the furniture and food that was presented in the lobby.

"For the third time Alfred, we are in Wales, not England."

"But isn't Wales a PART of England?" Arthur let out an exasperated sigh, so Kiku explained in his place.

"Wales is not a part of England. Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are the four countries that make up the country of the United Kingdom, hence its full name 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'."

Alfred was shocked, "Dude! How do you know all of that?"

"I listened very intently when Arthur-san was telling _you_ Alfred."

Alfred pouted, "Whatever, man. All I know is, WE'RE BACK IN THE U.K.!"

Alfred ran to the elevators, his luggage flipping over in the process, and he jabbed at the 'up' button.

"Alfred, you can't go anywhere without knowing what room we're in!" He handed Kiku and his mother their room keys.

"I know that you asked for joint rooms and room 66B! You always do!"

"You still can't get in without a key, you twit!" Arthur began to walk over to the elevators.

"Check your pocket!" Arthur only had one of the two keys.

"When the bloody hell did you learn to pick-pocket?"

Alfred smiled, and pulled out a book from his bag, "Hey, if I HAVE to read a book this summer, I might as well read something I can USE!"

"Yeah, yeah, just don't steal anything that would get you in trouble, alright? I really don't want to see you get in trouble."

"No promises!"

(TheCrumpetThief432836)

Alfred tossed his suitcase onto the bed, the only bed in the room, and began to rummage through his belongings. They packed a lot of things, considering they would be staying there for about three weeks. The hotel was just temporary, because they were going to stay at Arthur's relative's house, but he wasn't there yet, so they had to wait for his return.

"So, how long are we staying here?" Alfred sat on the bed, swinging his legs back and forth like a little kid.

"We'll only be here for a couple of days. Dylan isn't usually late to come home." Arthur sat down on the bed next to Alfred, and Alfred leaned his head onto Arthur's shoulder. Wrapping his arm around Alfred's head and petting the top of it, he realized how tall Alfred was quickly becoming. At this rate, Alfred would outgrow Arthur, and Arthur pouted a bit at the idea at how short he was. His mother always said if he drank too much tea, it would stun his growth. He never believed her for a minute, but now, he was having second thoughts.

"Alright…" Alfred sighed, being impatient as a teenager, "Soooo… What are we going to do for now? "

"Well, I figured since you and Kiku will spend a couple days here in Wales with Dylan, and then go across the rest of the United Kingdom, you might as well go sight-seeing today to decide what you guys want to do here, and then come back to research a few places you want to visit in Scotland, England, and Ireland. Sound good?"

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant by 'what are we going to do for now'," Alfred had an evil gleam in his eye, and Arthur knew what that look meant.

"You know they are RIGHT NEXT DOOR right?"

"We'll be quiet," With that, Alfred pushed Arthur down onto the bed, and straddled his hips, "Unless you… can't be quiet…" Alfred bent down, and nibbled Arthur's ear.

Arthur felt a moan crawling up his throat, but held it in. If it was a challenge Alfred wanted, it was one he was going to lose.

But Arthur couldn't move. Alfred had him _pinned._

(TheCrumpetThief432836) ((Haha you thought I was gonna type that… not today. Not yet.))

"Arthur-san, what's that spot on your neck?" Kiku was only a bit shorter than Arthur and could easily see the hickey that was ever so slowly healing on his neck.

He quickly covered it and replied, "Oh, it's nothing. Alfred simply punched me in his sleep. He's a bit of a violent dreamer," Arthur shut the trunk of the car they had rented for their trip over here. He led Kiku to his side of the car, Alfred automatically hopping in the other side. Kiku's mother was already in the front passenger side, knowing her place in the car.

Dylan gave them a call late last night saying that he was home and they were welcome to come over at any time. This gave Alfred and Kiku absolutely no time to research any places to visit with Dylan, but luckily, Dylan already had the places picked out for them. He refused to say what they were going over the phone, but they would be told when they reached his house. He lived not too far from the hotel, which was convenient for Arthur who wasn't quite comfortable with sitting at the moment. He would much rather stand and Dylan would tease him about that…

They soon arrived at the small brick hour that was Dylan's house. It was a two-story house, and was quite expansive for someone who lived on his own. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and then the typical rooms you'd find in a house. Dylan also had an entire room dedicated to taxidermy. He was an odd fellow.

Dylan was sitting on his front porch, a mug in his hand, who watched as the four exited their car and proceeded to their trunk to grab their belongings. They probably didn't notice him at all, seeing as how quiet he was being, "I don't get a hello?"

Arthur turned around; smiling an evil smile, and dragged his suitcase up to Dylan's front porch, "Well, well, well. I see that the _Prince_ is willing to speak to a lowly commoner," Arthur got on one knee and bowed, "It is truly and honor, your majesty." He looked up, opening one eye. Dylan cracked a smile and was soon laughing a hearty laugh.

"You still remember that? How old are you anyway?" He got up and began to walk down the stair of the porch to greet his visitors.

"What does it matter to you?" Arthur walked towards him, shaking his hand and hugging him, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Far too long," He looked over and saw Alfred standing about two feet behind Arthur, almost looking a bit shy, "And who do we have here?"

"I'm Alfred, Mr. Kirkland." Alfred's voice was low, and he was obviously shy.

Dylan laughed loudly, "Oh ho ho! Boy, you don't have to be so shy! And call me Dylan! It's a pleasure to meet you. Arthur has told me much about you, and don't worry, I know your secret with Arthur. You can count on me." He winked, and Alfred smiled a bit, nodding his head. You could tell Alfred a hundred times over not to be shy and he still would.

"Yes sir."

"Ho… you'll learn, boy. C'mon inside! I'll show you folks around! Then we can discuss what I have on the agenda for today and tomorrow, alright?"

His house was green. Green, green, and more green. The walls were green, he had plants in his house, and even the furniture was mainly green. The only thing missing was…

"WOAH! A GREEN SHEEP!" Alfred dropped his luggage, running over to the sheep. It stood there, unafraid, and allowed Alfred to pet it. It actually seemed to like Alfred, "DUDE! Where did you get a green sheep?"

"All you really need is a hair-dye set, and it'll stay forever," Dylan laughed again. He seemed to do that a lot, "Alright you guys, and lady, I'll take you luggage upstairs to your rooms, and you guys can walk around if you feel like it."

"What's its name?"

"His name is Garret. It means 'the watcher'. That sheep is like a guard dog."

"Like a guard dog… Hey Artie, we should get a guard dog. Ya know, considering our living circumstances.

"You have the weirdest ideas, Alfred."

From upstairs, Dylan was laughing, "Is that why your butt is hurting this morning?"

"SHUT UP, DYLAN! THIS ISN'T AS BAD AS YOUR LITTLE CRUSH ON SCOTT!"

**XXX **

**Okay, this is filler. I really needed to update and this happened… Sorry this is the worst chapter of the story… I SHALL MAKE UP FOR IT NEXT CHAPTER! SPRING BREAK IS COMING! WHOO! :D  
>Anyway, I apologize for the shortness and the blandness of this chapter…<br>I got a 103 on a math test I thought I completely failed. *thumbs up*  
>OH! AND DYLAN IS WALES! I looked up what his name was, and I got Dylan, so I went with that. XD<br>There shall be a Scott as well as an Ireland in the next few chapters, so be on the lookout! And tell me a human name for Ireland because I am too lazy to look for one!**

**And with that, Oyasuminasai! *is still neglectiv her Japanese lessons* Self teaching is slowly progressing along… *is lying to herself***


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